Southwest Florida has seen everything from a hot and muggy Christmas to a cold and dry one, but never a white one. We are not alone in that fact this time around, with only roughly 20% of the country having snow on the ground on Christmas this year.
Here’s a deep dive into Christmas weather history here in Southwest Florida, undertaken by our WINK Weather Authority.
Let’s start by talking about temperatures. With records dating back to 1902, the average high temperature in Fort Myers on December 25th is 76 degrees, with an average low temperature of 56 degrees. The highest temperature ever recorded on Christmas in Fort Myers was 88 degrees just 9 years ago in 2016. The coldest temperature recorded on Christmas in Fort Myers was a frigid 28 degrees back in 1989. In Punta Gorda, the highest temperature recorded on Christmas was 87 degrees in 2015, with the coldest temperature being 27 degrees in 1989. In Naples, the record high on Christmas was 89 degrees set in 2015, and the record low was 28 degrees in 1989.
You may think that most years were close to the average highs and lows, but that is not the case. Temperatures are typically unseasonably warm or unseasonably cool on Christmas, depending on the current atmospheric conditions, specifically if there was a cold front or not.
Although we have not had a white Christmas here in Southwest Florida, we have had our fair share of rainy ones. The wettest Christmas on record in Fort Myers was only two years ago in 2023. You may remember that 2.01 inches of rainfall fell in the City of Palms that year. In Punta Gorda, 1.29 inches of rainfall set the record in 2023 as well. In Naples, the record is 0.61 inches set back in 2002.
This time around, Christmas in Southwest Florida will feature temperatures just slightly warmer than average. Morning lows in the upper 50s with afternoon highs near 80 degrees. Enjoy the sunshine!