Sanibel, FL Climate

Sanibel, FL enjoys a very pleasant climate year-round. Temperatures rarely dip below 60°F in winter or above 95°F in summer, making it perfect for outdoor activities like swimming and walking on the beach. The humidity is slightly higher than many places in Florida due to its coastal location, giving it a tropical feel that many visitors enjoy. Rainfall averages around 50 inches per year with most of it coming in late spring and early summer, providing plenty of water for the lush vegetation on the island.

Sanibel, Florida gets 54 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Sanibel averages 0 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 262 sunny days per year in Sanibel. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Sanibel gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 113 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least .01 inches on the ground to measure.

Weather Highlights

Summer High: the July high is around 92 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 53
Rain: averages 54 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 0 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Sanibel is 6.4 (10=best), which means it is less comfortable than most places in Florida.

1.8 Summer - 9.3 Winter

December, March and February are the most pleasant months in Sanibel, while August and July are the least comfortable months.

Climate	Sanibel, Florida	United States
	53.8 in.	38.1 in.
	0.0 in.	27.8 in.
	113.0 days	106.2 days
	262 days	205 days
	91.7°	85.8°
	53.4°	21.7°
	6.4	7
	6.5	4.3
	7 ft.	2443 ft.

Climate

YOU SHOULD KNOW

Many people confuse weather and climate but they are different. Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere is over long periods of time.

Weather is how the atmosphere is behaving and its effects upon life and human activities. Weather can change from minute-to-minute. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure.

Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a place. Climate can mean the average weather for a particular region and time period taken over 30 years. Climate is the average of weather over time.

July is the hottest month for Sanibel with an average high temperature of 91.7°, which ranks it as warmer than most places in Florida. In Sanibel, there are 6 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Sanibel are February, December and March.

In Sanibel, there are 103.5 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is hotter than most places in Florida.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Sanibel with an average of 53.4°. This is warmer than most places in Florida.

In Sanibel, there are 0.3 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is warmer than most places in Florida.

In Sanibel, there are 0.0 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is about average compared to other places in Florida.

Humidity in Sanibel is significant throughout the year, and miserable in the summer. The humidity here has been described as oppressive or stifling in the summer. The humid season extends from April-November and the most comfortable months are December-March.

June is the wettest month in Sanibel with 9.4 inches of rain, and the driest month is December with 1.6 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 50% of yearly precipitation and 10% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 53.8 inches in Sanibel means that it is about average compared to other places in Florida.

August is the rainiest month in Sanibel with 17.3 days of rain, and April is the driest month with only 4.7 rainy days. There are 113.0 rainy days annually in Sanibel, which is about average compared to other places in Florida. The rainiest season is Autumn when it rains 44% of the time and the driest is Spring with only a 15% chance of a rainy day.

There is rarely any recorded snowfall in Sanibel, ranking it as one of the least snowy places in Florida. Any measurable snowfall is a rare occurance in Sanibel.