ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Fort Lauderdale in December

Fort Lauderdale in December: 39% of days see measurable rain, 77°F average high, 27% of days historically clear (n=248, ERA5 2018–2025).

Fort Lauderdale in December is historically a poor month for sun: only 27% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 77°F). March is the clearest month for Fort Lauderdale historically. Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Fort Lauderdale page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late December

Clear-sky percentage for Fort Lauderdale in December, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period	% Clear days	Sample (n)	Avg high
Early December 1st–15th	33%	n=120	77°F
Late December 16th–end	22%	n=128	77°F
Full month average	27%	n=248	77°F

Sunshine & warmth in December

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Fort Lauderdale in December. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period	Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun)	Sample (n)
Early December 1st–15th	83%	n=120
Late December 16th–end	71%	n=128
Full month average	77%	n=248

9.9 h median sunshine per day 80% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 39% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden

Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 27%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 77%. The 50-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

Fort Lauderdale is mostly overcast in December historically: only 27% of days are clear across 8 years (n=248), avg high 77°F. If you want sun in Fort Lauderdale, March is historically much better. Most visitors this month will see more clouds than sun.

→ See all destinations in March — historically the best month for sun in Fort Lauderdale.

Every month in Fort Lauderdale

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Fort Lauderdale, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month	% Clear	Sample (n)
January	27%	n=248	All destinations →
February	26%	n=226	All destinations →
March	37%	n=248	All destinations →
April	29%	n=240	All destinations →
May	20%	n=248	All destinations →
June	5%	n=240	All destinations →
July	5%	n=248	All destinations →
August	2%	n=248	All destinations →
September	6%	n=240	All destinations →
October	12%	n=248	All destinations →
November	26%	n=240	All destinations →
December ← this page	27%	n=248	All destinations →

Frequently asked

Does it rain in Fort Lauderdale in December?

Sometimes. Fort Lauderdale sees measurable rain on 39% of days in December historically (n=248 days, ERA5 2018–2025) — not frequent enough to plan around, but not negligible either.

Is Fort Lauderdale good for sun in December?

Not usually. Fort Lauderdale is historically overcast in December: only 27% of days are clear (avg high 77°F, n=248 days, ERA5 2018–2025). March is historically far better for sun here.

How Fort Lauderdale compares in December

Head-to-head clear-sky comparisons against destinations travelers plausibly weigh against Fort Lauderdale this month — same passport tier, similar flight distance, both sides from the same 8-year ERA5 record.

→ Fort Lauderdale vs Palm Beach in December — Palm Beach is 27% clear historically
→ Fort Lauderdale vs Tucson in December — Tucson is 27% clear historically
→ Fort Lauderdale vs Turks & Caicos in December — Turks & Caicos is 27% clear historically

→ Fort Lauderdale live forecast — this week’s actual 7-day weather, not historical
→ Best destinations in December — all destinations ranked by December clear-sky %
→ All destinations
→ Raw data (JSON) — buckets, n, source

All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.