Average Weather in Lakeland Florida, United States

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2. United States
3. Florida
4. Polk County
5. Lakeland

In Lakeland, the summers are long, hot, oppressive, wet, and mostly cloudy and the winters are short, cool, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 51°F to 91°F and is rarely below 38°F or above 95°F.

The hot season lasts for 4.8 months, from May 8 to October 1, with an average daily high temperature above 87°F. The hottest day of the year is July 17, with an average high of 91°F and low of 74°F.

The cool season lasts for 2.6 months, from December 6 to February 23, with an average daily high temperature below 75°F. The coldest day of the year is January 15, with an average low of 51°F and high of 71°F.

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

In Lakeland, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Lakeland begins around October 2 and lasts for 8.1 months, ending around June 6. On May 1, the clearest day of the year, the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 64% of the time, and overcast or mostly cloudy 36% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around June 6 and lasts for 3.9 months, ending around October 2. On July 5, the cloudiest day of the year, the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 67% of the time, and clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 33% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Lakeland varies very significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 3.8 months, from May 31 to September 24, with a greater than 44% chance of a given day being a wet day. The chance of a wet day peaks at 75% on July 30.

The drier season lasts 8.2 months, from September 24 to May 31. The smallest chance of a wet day is 14% on November 21.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 75% on July 30.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Lakeland experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Lakeland. The most rain falls during the 31 days centered around June 27, with an average total accumulation of 6.6 inches.

The least rain falls around November 10, with an average total accumulation of 1.6 inches.

The length of the day in Lakeland varies over the course of the year. In 2017, the shortest day is December 21, with 10 hours, 22 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 13 hours, 55 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 6:30 AM on June 10, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 11 minutes later at 7:41 AM on November 4. The earliest sunset is at 5:31 PM on December 1, and the latest sunset is 2 hours, 57 minutes later at 8:28 PM on July 1.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Lakeland during 2017, starting in the spring on March 12, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 5.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Lakeland experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 6.8 months, from April 21 to November 15, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 32% of the time. The muggiest day of the year is August 7, with muggy conditions 100% of the time.

The least muggy day of the year is January 28, with muggy conditions 9% of the time.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Lakeland experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 8.0 months, from September 28 to May 28, with average wind speeds of more than 3.9 miles per hour. The windiest day of the year is March 10, with an average hourly wind speed of 5.0 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.0 months, from May 28 to September 28. The calmest day of the year is July 20, with an average hourly wind speed of 2.9 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Lakeland varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the east for 4.0 months, from February 28 to June 29 and for 2.8 months, from August 4 to October 30, with a peak percentage of 53% on September 11. The wind is most often from the west for 1.2 months, from June 29 to August 4, with a peak percentage of 34% on July 6. The wind is most often from the north for 4.0 months, from October 30 to February 28, with a peak percentage of 37% on January 1.

Lakeland is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 4.1 months, from June 6 to October 8, with an average temperature above 81°F. The day of the year with the warmest water is August 9, with an average temperature of 85°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.2 months, from December 18 to March 25, with an average temperature below 69°F. The day of the year with the coolest water is February 5, with an average temperature of 65°F.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.0 months, from April 2 to June 3, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.1 kWh. The brightest day of the year is May 1, with an average of 6.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.6 months, from November 10 to January 30, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.1 kWh. The darkest day of the year is December 21, with an average of 3.5 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Lakeland are 28.039 deg latitude, -81.950 deg longitude, and 144 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Lakeland contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 102 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 162 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (197 feet). Within 50 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (305 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Lakeland is covered by artificial surfaces (89%) and water (11%), within 10 miles by artificial surfaces (45%) and cropland (32%), and within 50 miles by cropland (30%) and artificial surfaces (30%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Lakeland, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 3 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Lakeland.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Lakeland according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Lakeland is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Lakeland and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are: Bartow Municipal Airport (35%, 19 kilometers, southeast); Winter Haven's Gilbert Airport (35%, 19 kilometers, east); and Plant City Airport (30%, 22 kilometers, west).

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Tables of the Sun, Moon and Planets , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for aiports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © Esri, with data from National Geographic, Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, UNEP-WCMC, USGS, NASA, ESA, METI, NRCAN, GEBCO, NOAA, and iPC.