A rainy ‘dry season’ for Southwest Florida so far

Writer: Lauren Kreidler
Published: Updated:
Cape Coral flooding January 2024 Credit: Denise W.

Dry season runs from November to May for Southwest Florida, however many days this winter ended up rather soggy.

On average between the months of December and February, Fort Myers sees an average of 6.11 inches of rain. We nearly doubled that with an impressive 11.65 inches of rain this winter.

Since December 1st, Cape Coral notably saw the highest rainfall totals across Southwest Florida, topping out at 16.73 inches of rain, which is over 10 inches above normal. This area in particular saw significant flooding in January as cars were submerged in water due to torrential downpours.

The active El Niño pattern is a main factor in this as it brings rainier, cloudier conditions to the Southeastern United States.

Despite the higher than average rainfall totals, Fort Myers did not break any monthly rainfall records. In 2016, Fort Myers saw 12.98 inches of rain during the month of January alone. It was also an El Niño winter then.

As the first week of March kicks off, we can expect increased rain chances due to an unsettled weather pattern overhead.

El Niño is expected to transition into a more neutral pattern this spring, right when we can expect ‘rainy season’ to begin.

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