Last winter in Florida was completely different. This is what the coming season looks like

ORLANDO, Fla. – Last September we told you that winter 2023-24 would be very different than a typical Florida winter. It turned out to be exactly that: clouds, rain and cool weather dominated from November until the end of the season.

El Niño was largely responsible for the Sunshine State not being as sunny last winter.

La Niña is expected to take over next winter.

The developing La Niña is one of the reasons for the extremely active and retroactive hurricane season.

La Niña in the summer usually means a more active hurricane season. In winter, Florida is typically drier and warmer overall. Your keyword is in total.

This is what we would expect in winter 2024/25.

Factors for a warm and dry winter:

• La Niña is developing

• Warm sea temperatures around Florida

Long-distance models also paint an overall picture of a warm and dry winter.

During La Niña, the jet stream tends to spread across the central part of the country. This retains colder air to the north and allows warmer air to flow into Florida.

This pattern is also bad news for snow lovers along the northeast I-95 corridor. The typical large snowstorms and severe weather events in the south occur more frequently in El Niño years.

While it was often a little cooler in the afternoons last winter, it wasn't cold overnight. This is due to the persistent cloud cover that prevailed throughout the winter. The additional cloud cover was a direct byproduct of El Niño. At night, clouds act like a heating blanket, preventing the heat generated by the day from escaping, while also radiating their own heat to the surface.

In a drier pattern, there are fewer clouds and therefore temperatures can drop more quickly at night. When the air is drier, temperatures can also be colder.

During the last La Niña winter, during the 2022-23 season, the combination of December, January and February was about 4 degrees warmer than average from an afternoon, nighttime and average temperature perspective. Nestled in the general warmth were two nights where temperatures fell below freezing in the Orlando area. Two more nights dropped just below 32 degrees.

The coldest night last winter was 38 degrees in the Orlando area. This temperature was the only time the Orlando area temperature dipped below 40 degrees all winter.

Conclusion:

Find the umbrellas, but also have the extra blanket ready.

Overall, however, the winter is likely to be warm. It's pleasant and dry, with a lot more sunshine than last winter, and there's likely to be a few pretty decent cold snaps rushing down the peninsula.