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SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Fort Lauderdale in October

Fort Lauderdale in October is historically a poor month for sun: only 12% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 83°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 October

Clear-sky percentage for Fort Lauderdale in October, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period % Clear days Sample (n) Avg high
Early October
1st–15th		 4% n=120 83°F
Late October
16th–end		 20% n=128 83°F
Full month average 12% n=248 83°F

Sunshine & warmth in October

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 October. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun) Sample (n)
Early October
1st–15th		 91% n=120
Late October
16th–end		 91% n=128
Full month average 91% n=248
10.9 h median sunshine per day 83% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 66% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden
Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 12%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 91%. The 79-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 a poor choice for sun in October: just 12% of days clear historically (n=248). March is the historically strongest month for sun here. The 8-year record is consistent — this is not a fluke bad stretch.

→ 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 ← this page 12% n=248 All destinations →
November 26% n=240 All destinations →
December 27% n=248 All destinations →

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.