At first glance, it would appear that we battled through some “peninsular cooling” this past year.
Our most recent winter and summer were cooler than the year before.
That’s highlighted below in the banded graph of 7-day running high and low temperatures for Naples, Florida.
This past winter was consistently cold, if only by Florida standards. The 7-day running low consistently dipped below 60º from November through February, and on two occasions dipped into frozen Tundra territory of below 50º F.
Ok – that’s not Tundra Territory, but for Naples it’s close. Several nights in those two weeks dropped into the low 30s. (I had to break out a sweater!)
Will it be a hot one or a cold one?
That depends in part on the rain. The summer of 2007 was a dry one, a consequence of which was higher daytime highs.
The summer of 2008 was wetter – and if you look closely at the graph, you can see where two tropical storms passed over southwest Florida by the tip in daytime highs for those weeks … one in mid July and the other in August (Fay).
If you’re looking at the graph – summer will have arrived when the band turns completely orange. Currently there’s still a speck of green at its bottom. If you’re looking out your window, it’s the pitter patter of the summer rains.
I recommend a combination of both.
