Another year came to a close and for the fifth straight year, Orlando felt one of its warmest years on record.

2023 tied 2015 for the warmest year on record, with an average annual temperature of 75.6 degrees.

Records for Orlando go back to 1892. This was more than two degrees warmer than the average.

What You Need To Know

  • 2023 tied 2015 for the warmest year on record in Orlando and Daytona Beach

  • There were more than 200 record warm temperatures set in 2023

  • Only a dozen record cool high temperatures were set

  • Rainfall finished near normal or slightly above average

Orlando was not alone. Daytona Beach also felt its warmest year on record.

2023 tied 2015 in Daytona for the warmest year on record.

Daytona Beach measured an average annual temperature of 73.6 degrees. This was 2.2 degrees warmer than normal.

Melbourne, Sanford and Leesburg all experienced one of their top five warmest years on record.

Record warm low temperatures outpaced record warm high temperatures in Orlando, Daytona Beach, Sanford and Melbourne.

The only location where record warm high temperatures outnumbered record warm low temperatures was Leesburg.

Orlando led the way with 30 record warm low temperatures. The City Beautiful only set nine record warm high temperatures.

None of the five main weather observation sites in central Florida set a record cold low temperature. However, there were a few record cool high temperatures.

Between all the five main observations sites, there were 229 record warm (highs and lows) temperatures set while there were only a dozen record cool high temperatures set.

Rainfall

Rain seemed to favor areas along the east coast. Daytona Beach and Melbourne both experienced their 14th rainiest years on record.

Daytona Beach picked up more than 61 inches of rainfall, while Melbourne received more than 58 inches of rain.

Both finished with more than seven inches above the yearly normals.

Orlando, Sanford and Leesburg also finished wetter than normal. However, it was only by an inch or two.

Meanwhile, the Gulf Coast continued to struggle throughout the year for rain.

Areas like Tampa, St. Pete and Clearwater finished the year with moderate-to-severe drought.

Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.