The best time to visit Key West is December through April. In winter, the island rewards visitors with mild temperatures averaging highs in the mid-seventies (about 24℃), sunny days, and little rainfall.
The average high temperature rises only about five degrees during March and April, and precipitation remains low. In June, although humidity is increasing, the water is a welcoming 86℉ (30℃), and high temperatures average a pleasant 88℉ (31℃).
Visiting Key West By Season
Summer
Dry Tortugas National Park
June through August, the temperature averages 89℉ (32℃). Rainfall increases to around five inches (127 mm) in June and August, but dips to 3.6 inches (91 mm).
By June, one of the best times to visit Key West for swimmers, snorkelers, and divers, the ocean has warmed to an average of 86℉ (31℃), a plus for those who like the embrace of a balmy sea.
With the water at its clearest and calmest at this time of the year, summer is a wonderful time to take the ferry to Dry Tortugas National Park and to paddle and kayak the backcountry.
The region’s storm season begins in June and continues through summer. The chances for a summer storm are highest between mid-August through the end of the month.
Read: Fun Things to Do in Key West With Kids
Fall
September average high temperatures hover at 88℉ (31℃), dropping to 84℉ (29℃) in October and 80℉ (27℃) in November. Precipitation increases in fall, the heart of the rainy season.
September tends to have the most rain, averaging around six inches (152mm). In October, rainfall lessens to an average of 4.4 inches (112 mm), dropping right down to 2.9 inches (74mm) in November.
If it rains during your day in Key West, plan to visit the island’s noted indoor attractions, such as the Key West Aquarium, the Key West Museum of Art & History at the Custom House, and the Mel Fisher Museum, known for gold coins and other artifacts retrieved from shipwrecks.
Also, stop at a café for a lunch of stone crabs (the season begins mid-October), pink shrimp (the season starts in November), and the Key lime pie that Key West is known for.
Key Lime Shoppe
Winter
Winter in Key West, December, January, and February, is spectacular. The average high temperatures range around 75℉ (24℃), and the average precipitation falls to a mere 1.8 (46mm).
Take advantage of the pleasant weather to bike the island, walk the historic district, and climb to the top of the Key West Lighthouse. Since water temperatures range from 69℉ (21℃) to 72 ℉ (22℃), wear a wetsuit to snorkel in Key West and dive its remarkable reefs.
Spring
Spring, especially March and April, is one of the best times to go to Key West. Temperatures rise in spring from an average high of 79℉ (26℃) in March to 82℉ (28℃) in April to 85℉ (29℃) in May.
Rainfall in March and April averages around 1.8 inches (46 mm), increasing to 3.5 inches (89mm) in May. The ocean warms to about 75℉ (24℃) in March to 83℉ (28℃) in May. Meander through a canopy of sub-tropical trees at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden and swim at the beaches.
Smathers Beach
When Is Rainy Season?
Key West’s rainy season begins in May, peaks in September, the height of storm season, and continues through October.
Although hurricane season lasts through November, the month’s average rainfall actually drops to 2.9 inches (74mm).
When Is High Season?
The high season stretches from December through April.
December through February are the “coolest” months of the year, all things being relative, with average highs in the mid-seventies. Many consider March and April with their pleasant mid-eighties temperatures to be the best time to go to Key West.
When Is Shoulder Season?
May through August constitutes Key West’s shoulder season.
Rainfall increases but does not reach the level of September’s storm season highs. Although average high temperatures in shoulder season range from 85℉ (29℃) in May to 89℉ (32℃) in June, July, and August, precipitation and chances of storms are less than in low season.
When Is Low Season?
Low season in Key West runs from September through November. September and October see the most rain and the highest chances for storms. By November, rains and the potential for tropical storms decrease.
Key West
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