Climate and Storm History of Merritt Island, Florida

Merritt Island enjoys what is known as a “Koppen” climate classification due to its a year-round distribution of rainfall.  Essentially, the area experiences a humid subtropical climate with especially hot and humid summers.  There are also distinctions between the wet months and the dry season, with the dry lasting from December through May and the wet from June through November.  Temperature varies noticeably from winter to summer, particularly in winter.  In Merritt Island, there is a moderating affect from the Atlantic Ocean and a slight climate effect from the Indian River.  Therefore, low temperatures are higher, and high temperatures are lower, than is measured further inland.

January is the coldest month with an average low of 50.7 degrees and average high 71 degrees.  The warmest months in Merritt Island are July and August with average highs of 90 degrees and average lows 72.2 degrees. The driest month is April with 1.6 inches of rainfall; the wettest is September with 6.6 inches.

Florida is a large subtropical state that experiences hurricanes, and Merritt Island is no exception.  Still, even though it is located along Florida's eastern peninsula, it is less frequently impacted by direct hurricane landfalls than portions of the Panhandle or South Florida.  There are two primary reasons for this phenomenon.  First, westward moving tropical systems often weaken near Bermuda by the time they approach Florida at a latitude as far north as Merritt Island.  A second reason is that hurricanes making landfall along the west coast of Florida often weaken to a tropical storm by the time they move northeast to Merritt Island.