2022 brought historic rainfall from Hurricane Ian to the first morning of below freezing temperatures to Orlando in 1800 days.
The year featured a variety of weather extremes from start to finish for Central Florida.
The year started out with an early cold snap in late-January and ended with another cold spell at Christmas.
Despite these frigid temperatures, we spent most of 2022 feeling abnormally warm temperatures.
In fact, it finished as the third warmest year on record in Orlando.
The past year also finished in the top 10 warmest on record for Daytona Beach, Sanford, Leesburg and Melbourne.
There were 133 records broken between the five main observation sites across the region.
86% of those record temperatures set during the year were record warm temperatures (highs and lows).
Collectively, there were 115 record warm temperatures set during 2022 compared to only 18 record cool temperatures.
Nearly 70% of all record warm temperatures consisted of daily low temperatures.
Rainfall
Central Florida finished with above average rainfall. The biggest surpluses were in Leesburg, Orlando and Sanford.
These three cities ended the year nearly a foot wetter than normal.
Meanwhile, Daytona Beach and Melbourne only finished around an inch to two inches above the average.
Surprisingly, it was not the summer months that delivered the most rain, but fall that brought the heavy rain to Central Florida.
This past summer left most of the region with a rainfall deficit. The only exception to this was Leesburg, which ended the summer with nearly a six-inch surplus.
Central Florida made up ground with rainfall because of Hurricane Ian, and the unfortunate historic flooding that resulted from the storm.
Rainfall from that single event accounted for 20% of the year’s total rainfall.
Fall of 2022 was one of the rainiest on record for all of Central Florida.
Orlando finished fall with more than 28 inches of rainfall. It made fall 2022 the wettest on record for the City Beautiful.
Orlando was more than 17 inches above average for rain during the fall months.
Fall was also the rainiest on record for Sanford. The airport there measured nearly 28 inches of rain.
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