You are here:

Accuweather/weather

Advertisement

Expert: - 2/1/2003


Question
Why is it warm in Florida in the winter when it is cold in Maryland?

Answer
Kim,
By far, the main reason why Florida is warmer than Maryland in the winter is because of its location farther south. The farther south you go in the winter, the higher the sun is in the sky. The higher sun angle means that a greater percentage of the sun's energy is reaching the ground in a more direct fashion, thus allowing it to heat up more.  
This is not to say that Florida can't get cold every once in awhile...look at what happened last week down there with the hard freeze in many places!
One other reason for Florida being warmer is because of its proximity to water, which has a moderating effect on cold air masses moving southward. Remember that Florida is a peninsula, and as such, is surrounded by water on 3 sides. Even though water temperatures do drop in the fall and winter off the Florida coast, the water never cools as much as land does.
I hope I answered your question. If so, please close out the question and give me a rating. Thanks!

Sincerely,

Dave Dombek
Expert Senior Meteorologist
AccuWeather.com  

Accuweather

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Dave Dombek

Expertise

A weather enthusiast from an early age, Dave Dombek is now an AccuWeather meteorology expert.

Experience

Dave received his B.S. degree in meteorology from the Pennsylvania State University in May of 1980. Dave joined AccuWeather in July of 1980, beginning in the Snow Warning Service late that fall after his few month period of training. Within a short period of time, Dave got involved in radio broadcasting. He spent over 25 years broadcasting forecasts on radio stations throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states, and has also done newspaper forecasts and television briefings. Currently, Dave is the lead television briefer for all of AccuWeather's television clients in the northeatern quarter of the nation. In his daily forecasting routine, Dave helps coordinate the forecasts in the northeastern part of the country. He is also the Director of Forecaster Hiring and is in charge of hiring new meteorologists. Finally, Dave is the supervisor of the climatology department at AccuWeather. An avid outdoorsman, Dave enjoys hunting and trout fishing. He also enjoys watching football and is a student of history and current events. If Dave doesn't already have enough on his plate, he is married with two teenage daughters. He also leads a small Messianic congregation in the State College, Pa. area.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.