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Orlando sits inland in central Florida, on a low, flat, lake-dotted plain roughly equidistant from the Atlantic and the Gulf at approximately 28.54°N, 81.38°W. It has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) verging on tropical — with hot, humid summers and warm, dry winters — and a pronounced summer wet season.
Summer, from May to October, is long, hot and humid, with July and August the hottest — average highs around 33°C and warm, sticky nights. Afternoon thunderstorms are near-daily, arriving with clockwork regularity as sea breezes from both coasts collide overhead, and this season coincides with the Atlantic hurricane season.
Winter, from December to February, is warm, dry and sunny, with January the coolest month — average highs around 22–23°C and cool nights near 9–10°C, with occasional frost on the coldest nights when Arctic air pushes far south. Rain is much reduced and humidity low, making this bright, mild stretch the peak tourist season.
Orlando receives around 1,300–1,350 mm of rain a year, overwhelmingly concentrated in the summer wet season from June to September, when afternoon thunderstorms are near-daily, while November to April is markedly dry. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Central Florida is the lightning capital of the United States: sea breezes advancing inland from both the Atlantic and the Gulf collide over Orlando each summer afternoon, forcing the humid air upward into towering thunderstorms that generate more lightning strikes than anywhere else in the country.
To follow any single measurement in Orlando more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.