Fort Lauderdale Soaked While Miami Stayed Dry in Split South Florida Rainy Season

South Florida's 2026 rainy season produced sharply different results from one community to the next. Some areas were drenched by thunderstorms, while others never caught up to their seasonal averages. The pattern stretched from Miami and Fort Lauderdale on the Atlantic side to Naples and Fort Myers on the Gulf side.

The official rainy season runs from May 15 through October 15, a stretch when warmth, tropical moisture and daily sea-breeze interactions normally bring frequent showers and storms. According to a summary from the National Weather Service in Miami and the South Florida Water Management District, this year's rain was far from evenly spread.

Miami fell well behind. Miami International Airport collected 27.80 inches between May 15 and October 15, which is 18.45 inches below normal and roughly 60% of what the city typically receives in that period. June was especially lean, with just 1.87 inches against a normal 10.51 inches. Rainfall stayed below normal in July, August and September, so the deficit never closed. As of October 24, Miami's year-to-date total was 39.52 inches, about 34% below normal.

Fort Lauderdale told a different story. The summer began dry, but September changed that. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport recorded 22.34 inches of rain in the month, far above the normal 8.02 inches, making it the wettest September on record there. By October 15 the airport had logged 39.80 inches for the official season, 1.25 inches above normal. Miami, only a short distance south, remained far below its average.

The drought monitor stayed active throughout what is usually the wettest part of the year, at times showing areas of extreme drought. The season ended with no areas in the worst category, and drought conditions eased across the state. Small areas of severe drought remained over western Miami-Dade and western Central Florida.

Southwest Florida also fell short. Fort Myers got only 3.80 inches in June, compared with a normal 9.66 inches. July offered brief relief at 9.70 inches, slightly above average, but August and September were again below normal. At Naples Municipal Airport the season total was 33.35 inches, about 3.48 inches under normal. Occasional heavy downpours there did not erase the shortfall.

The uneven totals reflect how the region's storms form. Sea breezes from both coasts push inland in the afternoon and meet tropical moisture and other atmospheric boundaries, which can set off intense storms over small areas. One community may be hit repeatedly over a few weeks while another just miles away gets little. Prevailing winds, tropical disturbances and available moisture also play a part.

The rain matters because it replenishes groundwater, keeps canals and reservoirs filled, supports the Everglades and prepares the region for the drier winter months. Communities that ended the season well below normal may remain vulnerable to long stretches without meaningful rain, and conditions in Miami and parts of Southwest Florida in the coming months will help shape water conditions heading into 2027.

An El Niño pattern is forecast to continue through the winter, which could make the coming season wetter than average. In such winters, low-pressure systems tend to track across the southern United States and bring stronger cold fronts and heavier storms. That does not mean daily rain, but totals could end up above the seasonal average once the winter is analyzed. The main lesson of 2026, the report concludes, is that plenty of thunderstorms does not necessarily mean enough rain, and where the storms form matters as much as how often they occur.