Climate and Storm History of Fort Pierce, Florida

Fort Pierce has experienced several tropical storms and hurricanes, but one is worthy of mention due to the extreme amount of rain it dropped on the region.  Tropical Storm Fay hit the area on August 20, 2008, dumping over 20 inches of rain.  Fay formed from a dynamic tropical wave on August 15 in the Eastern Caribbean.  The storm moved its way over the island of Hispaniola, then into the Gulf of Gonave before passing over Cuba.  Tropical Storm Fay made landfall at the Florida Keys in the late afternoon hours of August 18, and finally through into the Gulf of Mexico.  The storm made a second landfall near Naples, Florida, in the early hours of August 19  The following day, on August 20, emerged on the Atlantic Ocean side of northwest of Fort Pierce.

Due to the fact that Tropical Storm Fay moved sluggishly, record amounts of rain fell throughout the state.  On August 21, Fay once again made landfall near New Smyrna Beach, before moving due west across Gainesville and Panama City.  While skipping around over water to land and back again, it became the first storm in recorded history to make landfall in the state of Florida a total of four times.

The climate in Fort Pierce qualifies as subtropical, which identifies those geographical and climate zones immediately north and south of the tropical zones of the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.  These types of climates are characterized by relatively warm and mild winters, while the summer season is comparatively hot and humid.  Frost or snowfall are extremely rare in Fort Pierce, which offers an ideal atmosphere for palm trees, citrus, broadleaf evergreens, and many other plants to thrive.

Average temperatures in Fort Pierce March range from 77 degrees at the high end and 55 degrees as the low.  In June, the high averages 89 degrees, while the low is 71 degrees.  September is approximately the same temperature-wise, with highs of 88 degrees and lows of 72 degrees.  December is comparatively cooler, with average highs of 73 degrees and lows of 53 degrees.