January visits

[mauigal]

I know the weather in Florida is different every year, but does anyone know what the end of Jan is 'typically' like?!
I was there last jan at the beginning and it was in the 30's!! Brrrrrrrrr
Was wondering what to expect...thx!

 

[simzac]

Have you checked weather.com to see what the average temps and precipatation are?

 

[5forDis]

We loved our Disney trips in January (can't go now due to the school calendar ). It was cool in the morning/evening, but during the day, we were always comfortable in jeans/light fleece or sweatshirt. I would bring gloves for the mornings and evenings. Sometimes hats for the kids & a jacket.

We live in the cold weather, though, so I might not be the best person to answer this. It was never warm enough for swimming in January on our trips.

I loved the low crowds and not walking around the heat.

 

[Colleen27]

Expect temps between 30° and 80°, potentially covering the entire range in a week's time.

Winter in FL is very unpredictable. Averages paint a very nice picture - low to mid 70s during the day, low 50s overnight - and when it is average to warm it is fabulous. But every winter seems to bring one real cold snap with lows at/near freezing, and there's no way of predicting when that will come. We come from a cold climate and don't mind the unpredictability too much because even FL cold isn't cold when you've just left a Michigan winter and the low crowds more than make up for the less than ideal weather, but it isn't a time of year to go if a cold snap will put a damper on your vacation.

 

[OKW Lover]

As others have noted, the weather in FL at that time of year is variable. Its actually the "dry" season so you shouldn't have issues with rain. But you may experience a range of temperatures. The best strategy to deal with that is to bring layers.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

Expect temps between 30° and 80°, potentially covering the entire range in a week's time.

Winter in FL is very unpredictable. Averages paint a very nice picture - low to mid 70s during the day, low 50s overnight - and when it is average to warm it is fabulous. But every winter seems to bring one real cold snap with lows at/near freezing, and there's no way of predicting when that will come. We come from a cold climate and don't mind the unpredictability too much because even FL cold isn't cold when you've just left a Michigan winter and the low crowds more than make up for the less than ideal weather, but it isn't a time of year to go if a cold snap will put a damper on your vacation.

That was our experience when we went in January 2010. We saw record-breaking cold that week. Some days the high temperature didn't even hit 40°F. We kept our gloves and heavy coats on all day some days. It was actually colder in Central Florida that week than it was in Northern New Jersey where we live. Then the last day we were there, highs were in the 70s and I was so sad to leave.

 

[Colleen27]

That was our experience when we went in January 2010. We saw record-breaking cold that week. Some days the high temperature didn't even hit 40°F. We kept our gloves and heavy coats on all day some days. It was actually colder in Central Florida that week than it was in Northern New Jersey where we live. Then the last day we were there, highs were in the 70s and I was so sad to leave.

I expect that ridiculous cold snap to come late this year, in early March, and I'll tell you why...

We went to Disney in mid-late Jan in 2008. Had a great time, lovely daytime weather with a few cool nights and a couple of days that were plenty warm enough for swimming and waterparks. Those same dates in 2009 were record setting ridiculously cold and CNN was talking about all the crop damage.

In 2009 we went in mid December. Again, lovely weather - near-record highs for the first couple days with cool nights later in the week, and some nice swimming and waterpark weather on several days. The same week the following year brought a ridiculous cold snap and threads on the boards about how all Orlando was sold out of gloves and hats.

Our last trip was the first week of March '11, so anyone going that time of year in 2012 might want to pack some cool-weather clothes just in case!

 

[Sweet Melissa]

I expect that ridiculous cold snap to come late this year, in early March, and I'll tell you why...

We went to Disney in mid-late Jan in 2008. Had a great time, lovely daytime weather with a few cool nights and a couple of days that were plenty warm enough for swimming and waterparks. Those same dates in 2009 were record setting ridiculously cold and CNN was talking about all the crop damage.

In 2009 we went in mid December. Again, lovely weather - near-record highs for the first couple days with cool nights later in the week, and some nice swimming and waterpark weather on several days. The same week the following year brought a ridiculous cold snap and threads on the boards about how all Orlando was sold out of gloves and hats.

Our last trip was the first week of March '11, so anyone going that time of year in 2012 might want to pack some cool-weather clothes just in case!

I'll hold you to that! We're going in early February and crossing our fingers for nice weather. Everybody up here is predicting a harsh winter, so we'll need a break by then.

 

[jmkjr72]

we have seen anything from the 80s down to the 30s
heck i think we saw that all in one trip

we come from wi so even if its in the 30s its still warm for us that time of year
sure we have to start the day with a sweat shirt but its still shorts weather for us

 

[Rudegrle]

We visit the last week of Jan or first week of Feb every year and all I can say is hope for the best and plan for the worst (weather). I've seen record lows and unseasonable highs... sometimes in the same week. I pack everything from my bathing suit and shorts to down vest and gortex jacket. There's usually at least one or two days warm enough to hit the water parks. The one thing I can say is, 99% of the time even if it's super nice during the day it's still cold at night. Small price to pay for low crowds. Enjoy your trip!

 

[mauigal]

Thanks everyone!

 

[FireDancer]

I've been down in January 3 times for marathon weekend and lived in FL for two years. It really can be anywhere from shorts weather to winter coat weather. As the trip gets closer check the 10 day forecast and be ready for it to be off by 10 degrees either way.

The first week of February 2004 some of my friends came down to visit me while I was living in Clearwater. They arrived on Thursday and we spent the day outside at the pool. We headed over to WDW and on Sunday had to buy coats. It was 2 degrees colder in Orlando than it was in Cleveland that day.