Common sense would dictate that daytime temperatures in the Florida Keys, the Southernmost region in the continental United States, would average significantly higher than in the nation's northern climes. Surprisingly, this simple geographic rule does not necessarily apply. The island chain that makes up the Florida Keys is isolated between the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Key West, the Keys' most far-flung island, boasts an average daytime high temperature of 81.9 degrees Fahrenheit. During the late evening, when the temperature in Key West reaches its average low of 73 degrees Fahrenheit, the weather creates a climate for celebration into the wee hours in the city's streets.
Winter brings day after day of short-sleeve weather and clear blue skies.
In the summer, the rains come. Usually, showers in the Keys are short and sweet, providing sudden shade from the summer sun. Because weather systems move swiftly in the tropics, showers can be unpredictable, yet visitors caught in downpours find they dry off rapidly with the reappearance of the bright sun. All rights reserved.