Dry season has arrived for South Florida but is it really that different from the wet season?
MIAMI -- For Americans who have lived or spent much time in parts of the country other than Florida, they may be used to experiencing four separate seasons during the year.
But in South Florida, there are really only two seasons: the wet -- or rainy season -- and the dry season.
And it seems like by the time we get to the end of either one of them, most South Floridians are anxiously waiting for a change in the weather patterns.
The wet season typically begins on May 15t and lasts through Oct. 15.
But Mother Nature doesn't look at the calendar so those dates can be different from year to year, give or take a few days.
Generally, the weather patterns fall into place and everything is good with the world.
Notice, the word "good."
The wet season this year has brought South Florida plentiful rainfall with 45.96 inches from mid-May through mid-October.
That's about right on the nose where we should be, maybe only a quarter of an inch below.
June was the wettest month with over 15 inches of precipitation that fell.
Now we are going into the dry season.
From November through April, the Miami area only receives about 12 inches of rainfall
That may seem like a lot but actually, most of the region's yearly rainfall occurs from May through October. The average yearly total is around 61 inches.
The hurricane season plays a large part in that amount and even though it doesn't officially end until the end of November, the tropics quiet down considerably by the end of October.
Cold fronts are now able to move all the way into South Florida and even into the Florida Straits which means cooler temperatures and lower humidity for the area.
That's why so many people love being here during the winter months, our weather is nearly perfect while the rest of the country is shivering!