March has been running well above average so far. Almost every day has been hotter than usual, with record heat reached on the 6th and 23rd. The only day where record cold was reached was on the 19th, when Southwest Florida experienced its coldest afternoon high for the day.

Our normal temperatures are around the low 80s, with lows in the low 60s for this time of year. Almost every day has been 5 to 10 degrees warmer than usual. So far, March is ranking as the 5th warmest March on record for southwest Florida, and with record heat in the forecast to wrap up the month, the ranking will likely climb.

The average temperature for the month, which factors in overnight lows, comes out to almost 75 degrees!

March has also featured five 90-degree or hotter days. Since the beginning of the year, Fort Myers has reached 90 degrees 6 times! This is way ahead of schedule, considering we typically don’t experience the first 90-degree days of the season until April.

Every month so far this year has been hotter and drier than usual for southwest Florida. Keep in mind, the rainy season begins mid-May, which will help alleviate our drought, as well as provide some relief from the heat during the late afternoons.

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