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SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Panama City Beach in July

Panama City Beach in July is historically a poor month for sun: only 9% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 86°F). October is the clearest month for Panama City Beach 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 Panama City Beach 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 July

Clear-sky percentage for Panama City Beach in July, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period % Clear days Sample (n) Avg high
Early July
1st–15th		 9% n=120 86°F
Late July
16th–end		 9% n=128 86°F
Full month average 9% n=248 86°F

Sunshine & warmth in July

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 Panama City Beach in July. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun) Sample (n)
Early July
1st–15th		 93% n=120
Late July
16th–end		 98% n=128
Full month average 96% n=248
12.3 h median sunshine per day 90% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 71% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden
Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 9%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 96%. The 87-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

Panama City Beach is a poor choice for sun in July: just 9% of days clear historically (n=248). October 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 October — historically the best month for sun in Panama City Beach.

Every month in Panama City Beach

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

Historical clear-sky % for Panama City Beach, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month % Clear Sample (n)
January 1% n=248 All destinations →
February 4% n=226 All destinations →
March 13% n=248 All destinations →
April 45% n=240 All destinations →
May 43% n=248 All destinations →
June 18% n=240 All destinations →
July ← this page 9% n=248 All destinations →
August 11% n=248 All destinations →
September 35% n=240 All destinations →
October 52% n=248 All destinations →
November 26% n=240 All destinations →
December 4% 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.