Is this weather typical? Just moved here from Illinois.
 

We came from Edwardsville, Illinois (near St. Louis). I talked my husband into this gig by promising him that Florida would be a warm and toasty place!

Right now, temperatures in The Villages and Edwardsville are somewhat similar.

Is this typical weather here? Or an anomaly?

Don't you know? These cold temperatures are the result of global warming! :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

But seriously, usually we get a cold snap in January. Last year and this it has hit around Christmas time. Wait for July, you'll be warm enough:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

This is not unusual for this time of year, but unlike Illinois, it will warm up here a lot sooner and more often. When I was living in Upstate NY, trying to decide where I'd like to spend my retirement winters, I wondered if TV would be warm enough for me. My folks spent their retirement winters in the Naples/Ft. Myers area and it's definitely warmer there, typically 10 degrees or so when we have these cold snaps. I opted for TV more for the lifestyle and relative affordability than for the weather. What I have found is that while the coldest days are definitely a bit snappy, in the winter months here in TV we get a lot of days that remind me of the beautiful Indian Summer days we'd get up north.
And, it will get toasty soon enough.

We have been here in a January, that is snowed, didn’t stick, but 31 degrees on a golf course leaves plenty of tee times:a040:

So yes Florida get cold snaps, then pops back to 70s couple days later.

If you promised warm weather year round, mid state isn’t going to have those temps. My family is anywhere between Miami down to the keys. They think it’s cold this morning

Spring, summer and fall can happen all in the same day this time of year.

Aberration. Random cold fronts passing through. Look at accuweather monthly chart for future forecast. I don’t trust any prediction more than a few days out

The average high in December is 72F and the average low is 51F. We were 41F this morning. As with almost any location, there can be fairly large variances on any given day or set of days. For example, I have seen lows in the upper 20s but the coldest average low is in January at 48F. We will be back around the averages tomorrow and then a few days above the averages with another cold spell possible the latter half of next week.

Don't worry, you'll be warm and toasty come July....

A couple brief cold periods happens every year in the Villages. Typically anytime between mid December through mid February. Still way better than up north where we are stuck through the holidays, where today’s high temperature is mid 30’s and tonight is forecasted to get down to 12 degrees. It’s all relative.

Cold here in north central FL typically from mid December to mid February. Florida is a long peninsula. If you want warm weather year round you need to move to South Florida. I don't know how many people who have moved here have told me the same thing. They thought all of Florida had the same weather and it is so untrue. It could easily be 15 degrees warmer in the winter near Miami or Ft Lauderdale. than it is here.

It’s 34 in Edwardsville, it’s 54 in the villages. It’s going into he 70s in The Villages today.

That is not similar.

Enjoy it while you can. We hit 90 during Feb., 2023

I remember visiting my aunt and uncle in Winter Haven in early January, 1969. I had never been to Florida and expected Miami weather. It was cold, raining and pretty miserable. My aunt chuckled and suggested my wife and I drive down to Miami and take a cruise to the Bahamas, which we did and had a ball in wonderful, sunny, warm weather.

that observation reminds me of my first ever visit to Florida. I drove from NY to Miami. When we hit the Georgia-Florida border I thought "we're here!"....yeah, right. This was in 1978, and the speed limit was 55. Took what seemed like forever to get down there.

Closing in on four years here now...Dec. and Jan. have some cold(er) days, even a frost or three on the really cold nights. I recall our first January here...forecast was for a low of 30 f. overnight and there was a "severe weather warning" out as a result, with parents being urged not to let Junior out of the house unless he was wearing a hat AND mittens. Being from Minnesota I got a chuckle out of that: I recall months when the daytime temps rarely got above zero, and -40 at night was not uncommon.

But things (and folks) change. We used to be amused by locals wearing long coats, hats and gloves when the temps hovered around 40, now I'm one of them.

This weather we are having right now is downright gorgeous!!!!!! I love the cooler weather. We do get some freezing temps occasionally over night in January and February. That is when my Ginger plants suffer from the cold but will come back beautifully when the warm weather is upon us.

Best post of the day!

Yes, this is very typical for North Florida.

When we drove down here in 1989, the Welcome To Florida sign on I-95 had snow all over it.

El Nino is good for Illinois, not so much in Florida. But you're still better off here. Welcome.

Greetings Fellow Hellinoisan!
 

We moved down here 3 years ago. Yep it’s definitely colder than normal. This feels like more January weather. Welcome!

Except for the heavy rain this past week end this is average. 10-15 degrees cooler warmer S. Florida and cost of living 50% higher there.

I have lived in Florida 40+ years. Most of the time, the weather is great and you do not need sweaters and jackets. It seems when there is an El Niño, it brings colder weather to Florida. After reading about Anchorage in early November, my wife and I dug out our hats, scarves, gloves, and warm socks. We are hoping we will not need them but have learned to be prepared. If January and February are unusually cold, it is difficult to find items to keep you warm. The stores sell out of them, quickly. With La Niña, it seems to bring more rain and more hurricanes.

Don't hold this as gospel truth. Mother Nature does as she wishes. My experience has been that most years are quite pleasant.

😂
 

Wellllllll….it’s 30 degrees above average where I live so 🤷🏻*♀️ My house in TV still seems like it would be nicer to be at 😂 Seems to me that we should just enjoy retirement wherever it is. Right now I’m wishing that I was ‘cold’ in TV 😂

This is an El Niño winter which causes changes to the normal weather patterns. El Niño is a climate pattern that describes the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean and occurs every 2-7 years.

The National Weather Service (NWS) says that during strong El Niño events, average winter temperature favors warmer than normal conditions across the northern tier of most of the nation and colder than normal conditions over most of the southern states

El Niño generally brings above average precipitation to Florida during Fall-Winter-Spring with a higher risk of flooding. According to the NWS in Tallahassee, Central Florida averages between 8 to 10 inches of rainfall during a typical winter. But during El Niño winters, that rainfall total rises to between 10 and 13 inches. One El Niño winter season even brought 18 inches of rainfall during the winter. Central Florida leads the entire state for above average rainfall during El Niño winters, with some locations averaging as much as five inches above normal.

El Niño events, especially strong events, have been tied tightly to well above normal storminess and strong tornadoes across the Florida Peninsula between November and April.

Not too unusual , the Villages in my opinion is about as far north in the state as you want to be , go 100 miles further south much better year round climate.

wait till Feb when you are watching blizzards on tv and then going out to play golf. that's the best. However, we have had a few nights here where the temp was 27....frost kills plants, so be aware. Last year there were a few nights like that.

Thank you for the many thoughtful responses!!

Very helpful.

In the worst of the winter in the St. Louis area, temperatures often hit single digits and occasionally went below zero.

I’m mighty grateful to be out of that!

Way too cold here in the winter. Too bad TV wasn’t built much further South.

Thankfully we have beautiful weather April thru September. Once we start hitting 90’s everyday paradise has arrived.

Florida Cracker here. Left crowded South Florida 14 years ago. Saw 28 degrees F one year, 3 days in a row. Wide swings happen.

January 19th 1977. Snow in Miami.

This is normal. Albeit a little early. The difference here is we can have 30 to 50 degree swings in one day. The cold season is over in a flash and then it's hot as heck and crazy humid. Spring and fall feel like they come and go in a flash. We do get frost here in T V. So certain plants need to be covered.

Check historical weather data online and you will have your answer.

I don’t even wear a jacket when it is cold like this. I know what’s coming.

Actually, last year 12/24 & 12/25 were freezing. I ride bicycle every morning and was bundled up & by the end of my 18 miles, I thought my toes were frost bitten! Every year since we originally moved to FL from the NE there have been periods of cold temps. You have to go to South FL (below the I-4 corridor) to get a bit warmer temps, HOWEVER, with the higher temperatures you get higher cost of living!😜

North of I4 this is typical weather, if you want what you promissed then you better go further south.

Over the last eight years we found December to be lovely. Sunny, clear, no humidity, and usually in the 70's during the day. January and February get cold. We've had lows in the 30's and one year it stayed in the high 20's for a few days.
There is no normal anymore. But don't worry, Florida will be nice and toasty in the spring and summer.

We do have colder weather in the winter just like everywhere else Just our scale is 40F is artic freeze. I would guess that we were at least 20F warmer then Illinois and when they get to 0F we will be 30-40F warmer.

Yes it is colder and wetter this year than normal. Last year at this time everyone was talking about burnt up golf courses and empty holding ponds because of the hot dry weather..
The NOAA predicted El Niño is expected to continue through the Northern Hemisphere this winter. That means a split jet stream with a southern jet right over Florida. Translation: cooler and wetter this winter.....sorry.

yeah, the weather here is not as warm, by at least 10 degrees in south florida That’s why TV was developed here, because land is cheap and why living here is more affordable than Naples or Miami. it’s warm enough for golf, which is my concern, and I no longer go to the beaches because too many friend have died from melanoma. Before TV, Sumter county was one of the poorest counties in Florida, but housing costs here compared to new england are soo cheap

We moved from Jacksonville & Springfield, IL sevens years ago. Yes, you may see low 40 s (seldom high 30's) a few times during winter, but you will appreciate here more as you will see the warm weather most of the winter period. No snow shoveling, winter coats, boots, etc. more! We used to live in Panama City Beach, FL during snowbird period and found it colder with high wind & rains. TV is an ideal place to live with many activities for our age.

After 12 years in St Louis, the worst weather in US, you will love Florida. The warm and toasty is February and later, but December through January is cooler.