ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Fort Lauderdale in January

Fort Lauderdale in January: 29% of days see measurable rain, 74°F average high, 27% of days historically clear (n=248, ERA5 2018–2025).

Fort Lauderdale in January is historically a poor month for sun: only 27% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 74°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 January

Clear-sky percentage for Fort Lauderdale in January, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period	% Clear days	Sample (n)	Avg high
Early January 1st–15th	32%	n=120	74°F
Late January 16th–end	23%	n=128	74°F
Full month average	27%	n=248	74°F

Sunshine & warmth in January

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 January. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period	Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun)	Sample (n)
Early January 1st–15th	70%	n=120
Late January 16th–end	59%	n=128
Full month average	64%	n=248

9.9 h median sunshine per day 78% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 29% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden

Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 27%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 64%. The 37-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 January historically: only 27% of days are clear across 8 years (n=248), avg high 74°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 ← this page	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	27%	n=248	All destinations →

Frequently asked

Does it rain in Fort Lauderdale in January?

Sometimes. Fort Lauderdale sees measurable rain on 29% of days in January historically (n=248 days, ERA5 2018–2025) — not frequent enough to plan around, but not negligible either.

Is Fort Lauderdale good for sun in January?

Not usually. Fort Lauderdale is historically overcast in January: only 27% of days are clear (avg high 74°F, n=248 days, ERA5 2018–2025). March is historically far better for sun here.

How Fort Lauderdale compares in January

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 Key West in January — Key West is 27% clear historically
→ Fort Lauderdale vs Palm Beach in January — Palm Beach is 27% clear historically
→ Fort Lauderdale vs Miami in January — Miami is 28% clear historically

→ Fort Lauderdale live forecast — this week’s actual 7-day weather, not historical
→ Best destinations in January — all destinations ranked by January 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.