Climate and Storm History of Port St. Lucie, Florida

Port St. Lucie, Florida experiences what is known as a “Koppen” climate classification, the term referring to the region’s year-round distribution of rainfall.  The area experiences a humid subtropical climate, characterized by especially hot and humid summers.  There are also marked distinctions between the wet season and the dry season, with the latter lasting from December through May and the former from June through November.  Temperature varies also noticeably from winter to summer, particularly in winter.  Snow and frost are extremely rare in Port St. Lucie, especially due to the moderating effect from the Atlantic Ocean and from the Indian River.  Low temperatures tend to be higher, and high temperatures are lower than those further inland.

In Port St. Lucie, January is the coldest month with an average low of 49 degrees and a high averaging 68 degrees.  The warmest months in Port St. Lucie  are July and August during which the average high is 90 degrees and average low is 73 degrees. The driest month in Port St. Lucie is April where the region receives with 2.3 inches of rainfall; the wettest is September with 6.9 inches.

Although residents of Port St. Lucie may refer to past storms as “hurricanes,” this is not officially true from a meteorological perspective.  In fact, by the time they strike Port St. Lucie, most have already subsided to tropical storms and even depressions.  The tornados that often spin off from these storms can result in severe damage, however.

Five hurricanes have directly affected Port St. Lucie in the last 60 years:  David (1979), Erin (1995),  Charley (2004), Frances (2004), and Jeanne (2004).  The last two hurricanes followed very nearly the same path and caused widespread damage.