Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS Melbourne, FL

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NOUS42 KMLB 011647
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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Melbourne FL
1147 AM EST Fri Mar 1 2024

...Winter 2023-2024 was Wetter Than Normal with Average Temperatures
Near to Slightly Above Normal Across East Central Florida...

El Nino conditions, characterized by warmer than normal sea surface
temperatures over the equatorial Pacific Ocean, strengthened during
the 2023-2024 winter season. This pattern typically helps lead to
above normal rainfall during the winter across Florida, and this
stronger El Nino event certainly followed suit. While extended
stretches of drier weather did occur during the season, periods of
heavy rainfall from passing low pressure systems and frontal
boundaries, led to overall wetter than normal conditions this winter
across central Florida.

Increased cloud cover and rainfall across the area this winter
season helped keep high temperatures near to slightly below normal.
However, this increased cloudiness and limited intrusions of
significantly colder air into the area, often kept minimum
temperatures near to above normal, especially during December and
January. Average temperatures for the winter were generally around a
half a degree to a degree warmer than normal, but again this was
largely due to overnight lows that trended above normal for the
season.


Temperatures...

The season started off on a warm start, with a handful of record
highs and warm lows being set or tied across the area early in
December. Some of the warmest high temperatures during the season
occurred from the 2nd through the 4th of December, as maximum
temperatures reached as high as the mid 80s. Several cold fronts
moved through the area through the remainder of December and into
January. The coldest temperatures this winter for many locations
occurred behind a strong cold front into the early morning of
January 21st, with lows ranging from the mid 30s to mid 40s for much
of east central Florida, and a few normally colder locations
northwest of I-4 falling to or just below the freezing mark. Cold
frontal passages were not as frequent into February, but were strong
enough to lead to overall cooler than normal conditions to end out
the season.

Despite several cold fronts moving through the area during December
and January, average temperatures for both months ended up slightly
above normal, up to 1 to 2 degrees. However, cloudier conditions and
periods of increased rainfall kept average maximum temperatures for
both months generally within a degree of their normal values. It was
the overnight lows that skewed the monthly average temperatures to
be above normal, with average minimum temperatures up to 2 to 4
degrees warmer than normal each month. Overall cooler conditions
existed into February, with both monthly average maximum and minimum
temperature values ending up slightly below normal by a half a
degree to a degree at most locations.

Average temperatures for the Winter of 2023-2024 followed a similar
trend as the first two thirds of the season, with values near to
slightly above normal, ranging from 0.3 degrees below normal at
Leesburg to 1.1 degrees above normal at Orlando and Fort Pierce.
However, this was again mainly due to warmer average minimum
temperatures for the season, which were between 1 to 3 degrees above
normal, while seasonal average maximum temperatures were around a
half a degree to a degree below normal.


Average temperature values for Winter 2023-2024 at the primary
climate sites across east central Florida are as follows (rankings
provided if in the top 10):

- Daytona Beach had an average temperature for the season of 61.4
degrees Fahrenheit, which was 0.8 degrees above normal.

- Leesburg had an average temperature for the season of 61.1 degrees
Fahrenheit, which was 0.3 degrees below normal.

- Sanford had an average temperature for the season of 62.7 degrees
Fahrenheit, which was 0.5 degrees above normal.

- Orlando had an average temperature for the season of 63.6 degrees
Fahrenheit, which was 1.1 degrees above normal.

- Melbourne had an average temperature for the season of 64.0
degrees Fahrenheit, which was 0.5 degrees above normal.

- Vero Beach had an average temperature for the season of 65.1
degrees Fahrenheit, which was 0.6 degrees above normal.

- Fort Pierce had an average temperature for the season of 65.2
degrees Fahrenheit, which was 1 degree above normal.


Rainfall...

It was a drier start to the season, with any frontal passages during
the first several days of December producing little in the way of
rainfall. The majority of rainfall for December occurred with a low
pressure system that formed over the Gulf toward mid-month and
lifted northeast across north Florida. This system produced
widespread rainfall totals up to 2 to 4 inches for month locations
from the 16th through the 17th. All primary climate sites set daily
rainfall records on the 16th, with Daytona Beach and Leesburg also
setting daily rainfall records on the 17th. Rainfall again picked up
again into late December, but overall totals were around an inch or
less. Precipitation totals for December were around 2 to 3 inches
above normal, and ranked within the top 15 wettest for most of the
primary climate sites across east central Florida.

Most of the rainfall in January occurred during the first half of
the month, with passing cold and warm fronts producing rounds of
showers and storms across the region. Dry conditions then largely
prevailed from the 19th onward. Greatest rainfall totals for the
month occurred near to south of a line from Kissimmee to the Cape,
around 2 to 5 inches, locally up to 6 to 7 inches, which was near to
above normal. North of that line, precipitation amounts were closer
to 1.5 to 3 inches, which were near to slightly below normal.
Melbourne had one of the higher totals among the primary climate
sites, coming in with 5.52 inches of rainfall, ranking January 2024
as the 5th wettest.

Majority of rainfall into February occurred from the 17th through
early on the 19th, as low pressure crossing south Florida along a
stalled frontal boundary led to a long duration of widespread steady
light to moderate rainfall across the area. Precipitation totals
from this system were around 2 to 3 inches across east central
Florida. Much of the rest of February was actually rather dry, but
rainfall amounts still ended up near to slightly above normal for
the month.

While drier stretches were still common through the winter months,
the periods of heavy rainfall from frontal passages and low pressure
systems led to above normal rainfall for the season. Precipitation
amounts for Winter 2023-2024 were generally around 8 to 14 inches
for most locations across the area, or around 1 to 5 inches above
normal. For Melbourne, it was actually the 6th wettest winter on
record, with a total of 12.85 inches through the season.


Winter 2023-2024 rainfall totals for the primary climate sites across
east central Florida are as follows (ranking provided if in the top
10):

- Daytona Beach received 10.12 inches of rain for the season, which
was 2.41 inches above normal.

- Leesburg received 9.56 inches of rain for the season, which was
2.80 inches above normal.

- Sanford received 7.97 inches of rain for the season, which was
1.12 inches above normal.

- Orlando received 7.67 inches of rain for the season, which was
0.67 inches above normal.

- Melbourne received 12.85 inches of rain for the season, which was
5.88 inches above normal. This ranks as the 5th wettest Winter on
record for this site, with records for this site dating back to 1937.

- Vero Beach received 8.52 inches of rain for the season, which was
1.04 inches above normal.

- Fort Pierce received 9.57 inches of rain for the season, which was
2.25 inches above normal.



Below is a list of observed precipitation totals and rainfall
statistics for select sites across east central Florida for
Winter 2023-2024:

Station     Winter 2023-2024    Normal      Departure    Percent of
                Rainfall       Rainfall    From Normal     Normal

Daytona Beach     10.12"         7.41"       +2.71"         137%
(DAB)
Orlando            7.67"         7.00"       +0.67"         110%
(MCO)
Melbourne         12.85"         6.97"       +5.88"         184%
(MLB)
Vero Beach         8.52"         7.48"       +1.04"         114%
(VRB)
Clermont*         10.77"         7.92"       +2.85"         136%
(CLRF1)
Leesburg           9.56"         6.76"       +2.80"         141%
(LEE)
DeLand*           10.20"         8.16"       +2.04"         125%
(DELF1)
Sanford            7.97"         6.85"       +1.12"         116%
(SFB)
Titusville*       10.04"         7.96"       +2.08"         126%
(TITF1)
Fort Pierce        9.57"         7.32"       +2.25"         131%
(FPR)
Stuart*           12.12"         8.83"       +3.29"         137%
(STRF1)

*Rainfall totals for the season end around 7 AM on February 29th.

For more local climate information, please visit our web page at
http://weather.gov/mlb and click on the "Climate" icon toward the
bottom of the page.

$$


Weitlich


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