Sarasota in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Sarasota sees average daytime highs around 70°F and overnight lows near 58°F, with 5.7 in of rain over about 16 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 70°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Sarasota's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Sarasota's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 70°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 58°F
- Rainfall
- 5.7 in
- 16 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 mph
- Travel score
- 7.4
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Sarasota in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 70°F.
A typical winter day in Sarasota reaches about 70°F and drops to 58°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Sarasota
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Sarasota weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69° / 57° | 2.3 | 5.7 | 10.5 | 7.2 |
| Feb | 70° / 58° | 1.6 | 5.3 | 11 | 7.4 |
| Mar | 73° / 62° | 2.0 | 5.3 | 11.8 | 7.9 |
| Apr | 78° / 67° | 1.9 | 5.3 | 12.6 | 7.8 |
| May | 83° / 72° | 2.2 | 7.9 | 13.3 | 6.6 |
| Jun | 85° / 77° | 5.8 | 18.2 | 13.7 | 4.2 |
| Jul | 86° / 78° | 5.4 | 21.6 | 13.6 | 3.6 |
| Aug | 87° / 78° | 6.0 | 23 | 13 | 3.4 |
| Sep | 85° / 77° | 6.0 | 17.5 | 12.2 | 4.2 |
| Oct | 82° / 72° | 2.6 | 7.7 | 11.3 | 6.6 |
| Nov | 76° / 64° | 1.5 | 3.8 | 10.6 | 8.1 |
| Dec | 71° / 60° | 1.8 | 5.2 | 10.3 | 7.6 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Sarasota gets around 5.7 in of rain over 16 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 9 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 24 min in early December to 11 h 24 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.9 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Sarasota
None of Sarasota's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Sarasota sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Sarasota's rainy season runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Sarasota?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit Sarasota for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Sarasota in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Sarasota sees daytime highs around 70°F and nights near 58°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 16 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Sarasota in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 67°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 86°F and coldest in February near 65°F.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Mar 13 to Dec 26 — about 9.5 months when the water holds above 68°F.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 65 | 65 | 68 | 73 | 78 | 83 | 85 | 86 | 85 | 81 | 74 | 69 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | Cool |
| Feb | 65 | Cool |
| Mar | 68 | Refreshing |
| Apr | 73 | Refreshing |
| May | 78 | Warm |
| Jun | 83 | Tropical |
| Jul | 85 | Tropical |
| Aug | 86 | Tropical |
| Sep | 85 | Tropical |
| Oct | 81 | Warm |
| Nov | 74 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 69 | Refreshing |
UV index in Sarasota in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sarasota peaks around July 14 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 4 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Moderate |
| Feb | 7 | High |
| Mar | 9 | Very high |
| Apr | 9 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 8 | Very high |
| Nov | 6 | High |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Air quality in Sarasota in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Sarasota is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 9 | Good |
| Mar | 10 | Good |
| Apr | 12 | Good |
| May | 11 | Good |
| Jun | 15 | Moderate |
| Jul | 18 | Moderate |
| Aug | 16 | Moderate |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 8 | Good |
| Nov | 7 | Good |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
Where is Sarasota?
Sarasota sits at 27.3°N, 82.5°W, 23 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bayshore Gardens, 7.5 mi away.
Topography around Sarasota
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Sarasota.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sarasota has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 ft around an average of 23 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 384 ft.
The land around Sarasota is covered by artificial surfaces (43%), trees (30%) and water (20%) within 2 miles, water (41%) and trees (27%) within 10 miles, and water (43%), trees (27%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Sarasota (27.3364°, -82.5306°, elevation 23 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.