Spring Break 2011- FL vs. TX

[Xenon]

Florida:

Panama City Beach/Destin/Ft. Walton Beach

Water temp: 63F

Predicted Avg high this week: 70F

Predicted Avg low this week: 56F

Daytona Beach/New Smyrna Beach

Water temp: 64F

Predicted Avg high this week: 76F

Predicted Avg low this week: 53F

Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach

Water temp: 68F

Predicted Avg high this week: 76F

Predicted Avg low this week: 55F

West Palm Beach

Water temp: 74F

Predicted Avg high this week: 78F

Predicted Avg low this week: 61F

South Beach

Water temp: 75F

Predicted Avg high this week: 78F

Predicted Avg low this week: 65F

Islamorada/Marathon/Key West

Water temp: 76F

Predicted Avg high this week: 78F

Predicted Avg low this week: 67F

Naples Beach

Water temp: 72F

Predicted Avg high this week: 82F

Predicted Avg low this week: 57F

Sanibel

Water temp: 73F

Predicted Avg high this week: 72F

Predicted Avg low this week: 63F

Clearwater Beach

Water temp: 68F

Predicted Avg high this week: 74F

Predicted Avg low this week: 57F

Texas:

Galveston

Water temp: 66F(?)

Predicted Avg high this week: 69F

Predicted Avg low this week: 60F

Port Aransas/Corpus Christi

Water temp: 66F

Predicted Avg high this week: 75F

Predicted Avg low this week: 61F

South Padre Island

Water Temp: 68F

Predicted Avg high this week: 75F

Predicted Avg low this week: 64F

Conclusions:

Galveston somewhat resembles Daytona Beach although the latter has higher daytime highs but Galveston has higher nighttime lows probably due to the warmer Gulf waters.

Corpus Christi is similar to the above, but with even warmer nighttime lows. Galveston and Corpus are probably more comparable to somewhere between Clearwater Beach and Panama City Beach in terms of spring water temps.

South Padre Island(at the southern tip of Texas) seems to have similar water temperatures to Clearwater Beach but with air temperatures more akin to the coastal Ft. Myers area.

South Texas is similar to Central Florida in winter but warms up faster in the spring(probably due to latitude).

You probably have to go south of the Tropic of Cancer in Mexico to find anything close to South Florida in terms of water temperatures(amazing what the Gulf Stream does)...

Yes, I'm very very bored...

Jonathan

Edited March 13, 2011 by Xenon

[cvb7873]

Florida:

Panama City Beach/Destin/Ft. Walton Beach

Water temp: 63F

Predicted Avg high this week: 70F

Predicted Avg low this week: 56F

Daytona Beach/New Smyrna Beach

Water temp: 64F

Predicted Avg high this week: 76F

Predicted Avg low this week: 53F

Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach

Water temp: 68F

Predicted Avg high this week: 76F

Predicted Avg low this week: 55F

West Palm Beach

Water temp: 74F

Predicted Avg high this week: 78F

Predicted Avg low this week: 61F

South Beach

Water temp: 75F

Predicted Avg high this week: 78F

Predicted Avg low this week: 65F

Islamorada/Marathon/Key West

Water temp: 76F

Predicted Avg high this week: 78F

Predicted Avg low this week: 67F

Naples Beach

Water temp: 72F

Predicted Avg high this week: 82F

Predicted Avg low this week: 57F

Sanibel

Water temp: 73F

Predicted Avg high this week: 72F

Predicted Avg low this week: 63F

Clearwater Beach

Water temp: 68F

Predicted Avg high this week: 74F

Predicted Avg low this week: 57F

Texas:

Galveston

Water temp: 66F(?)

Predicted Avg high this week: 69F

Predicted Avg low this week: 60F

Port Aransas/Corpus Christi

Water temp: 66F

Predicted Avg high this week: 75F

Predicted Avg low this week: 61F

South Padre Island

Water Temp: 68F

Predicted Avg high this week: 75F

Predicted Avg low this week: 64F

Conclusions:

Galveston somewhat resembles Daytona Beach although the latter has higher daytime highs but Galveston has higher nighttime lows probably due to the warmer Gulf waters.

Corpus Christi is similar to the above, but with even warmer nighttime lows. Galveston and Corpus are probably more comparable to somewhere between Clearwater Beach and Panama City Beach in terms of spring water temps.

South Padre Island(at the southern tip of Texas) seems to have similar water temperatures to Clearwater Beach but with air temperatures more akin to the coastal Ft. Myers area.

South Texas is similar to Central Florida in winter but warms up faster in the spring(probably due to latitude).

You probably have to go south of the Tropic of Cancer in Mexico to find anything close to South Florida in terms of water temperatures(amazing what the Gulf Stream does)...

Yes, I'm very very bored...

Jonathan

The college football is WAY better in Florida too!

[velutina]

People don't go to Las Vegas or Lake Havasu anymore?

[sonoranfans]

Until last thursday it was hitting 80F in st pete, now temps are down after the storm and rain came through, cooling things off alot. I am seeing forecasts with a warming trend to about 77F at bradenton beach by friday this week. Water temp is currently 70F, but wind direction changes could change that in a hurry as the gulf is shallow. Miami will have the most reliable air and water temps this early in spring with the gulf stream nearby.

[Xenon]

Until last thursday it was hitting 80F in st pete, now temps are down after the storm and rain came through, cooling things off alot. I am seeing forecasts with a warming trend to about 77F at bradenton beach by friday this week. Water temp is currently 70F, but wind direction changes could change that in a hurry as the gulf is shallow. Miami will have the most reliable air and water temps this early in spring with the gulf stream nearby.

Brownsville, just inland from South Padre, was also hitting low 80s last week and is also showing a warming trend to 80F again this weekend. South Texas seems to have many similarities to that part of Florida except for the noticeably higher nighttime lows(4-6F) in early spring.

Jonathan

Edited March 14, 2011 by Xenon

[sonoranfans]

Until last thursday it was hitting 80F in st pete, now temps are down after the storm and rain came through, cooling things off alot. I am seeing forecasts with a warming trend to about 77F at bradenton beach by friday this week. Water temp is currently 70F, but wind direction changes could change that in a hurry as the gulf is shallow. Miami will have the most reliable air and water temps this early in spring with the gulf stream nearby.

Brownsville, just inland from South Padre, was also hitting low 80s last week and is also showing a warming trend to 80F again this weekend. South Texas seems to have many similarities to that part of Florida except for the noticeably higher nighttime lows(4-6F) in early spring.

Jonathan

Brownsville is apparently 20 miles inland, its currently 72F. I am in palmetto, 4-5 miles from tampa bay(NW) i has a forecast high of 72F today and it is 78F right now. We hit 88F on the 8th of march(forecast high was 78F). Here is the history:

http://classic.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KFLPALME4&day=14&year=2011&month=3&graphspan=month

So I would say that inland brownsville appears similar to inland palmetto with a high of 86F in march. For us it gets warmer when the breeze comes off the land to the east and north east. A breeze off the 70F gulf cools things down a bit. We tend to be cooler than ft myers/sanibel by 2-3 degrees.

Edited March 14, 2011 by sonoranfans

[Xenon]

I appreciate your insight, Brownsville is supposed to hit 81F this afternoon, current temperature is 78F.

Brownsville's February max high was 90F, I'm surprised Brownsville hasn't hit 90F in March yet...

Jonathan

Edited March 14, 2011 by Xenon

[Xenon]

South Padre is warming up fast with highs just shy of 80F and lows just below 70F The ocean temperature has risen to 71F. The rest of the coast hasn't changed much due to yesterday's cold front which didn't reach the Rio Grande Valley. Forecast highs are in the mid 80s to low 90s in the upper Rio Grande Valley and South Texas Plains for the remainder of this week. Looks like Florida is warming up fast too, with much of the state expecting highs in the 80s this week.

Jonathan

[Erik]

I was thinking of a family road trip to Corpus for this week but we stayed home when gas prices went up.

Today we had a morning low of 65 F and a high of 82 F so I'm glad we used the backyard "beach"

Did not check the pool temp, however.....