FLORIDA · FORT LAUDERDALE · AUGUST
Fort Lauderdale in August is a swimmer’s month with a weather clause. The sea off the beach averages 88.2°F in its daily highs, the airport thermometer reaches 90.0°F on an average afternoon, and the sun stays up for about 13 hours on the 15th. The catch sits on the calendar: August falls inside the Atlantic hurricane season, and most of the season’s activity arrives between mid-August and mid-October.
You have already picked the city, so the useful questions are about dates: how wet it gets, how warm the nights stay, how July and September compare, and what to book. For neighborhoods and hotels, start with our Fort Lauderdale guide and the Florida where-to-stay guide.
AUGUST AT A GLANCE · FORT LAUDERDALE
August in Fort Lauderdale means 90.0°F afternoons, an 88.2°F sea and rain on 11.2 days, all inside hurricane season, so come for the water and book a rate you can cancel.
WET SEASON · HURRICANE SEASON JUN 1 TO NOV 30 · BOOK REFUNDABLE
Go for: the warmest sea of the summer trio, sunrise swims at state-park beaches, and evenings with the sun up until nearly 8 p.m.
Think twice before: locking in fixed, non-refundable dates: NOAA places most Atlantic hurricane activity between mid-August and mid-October.
Climate: NOAA NCEI station USW00012849 · Sea: Open-Meteo Marine · Hurricanes: NOAA NHC · full sources at the end
On this page
- Fort Lauderdale weather in August90.0°F highs and 11.2 rain days at the airport station
- Sea temperature in August88.2°F, a daily-maximum average
- Crowds, prices and hotel tax in AugustCruise turnaround days and the 6% Broward tax
- Things to do in AugustMizell-Eula Johnson, Hugh Taylor Birch and Oleta River
- A two-day August itinerarySunrise at 6:52 a.m., sunset at 7:57 p.m.
- July or September instead?Heat, rain and sea across the three months
- Is August a good time to go?Yes for swimmers with flexible bookings
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL) boarded 17,096,131 passengers in 2024, enough for the FAA to class it a large hub, and the NOAA station behind the August normals stands on its grounds. Routes and fares are in our Florida flights guide, and the car-or-no-car question in getting around Florida.
Fort Lauderdale weather in August: average highs, lows and rain days
| Measure | August | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average high | 90.0°F (32.2°C) | NOAA station USW00012849, 1991–2020 |
| Average low | 77.9°F | NOAA station USW00012849, 1991–2020 |
| Precipitation | 7.89 in | NOAA station USW00012849, 1991–2020 |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 11.2 | NOAA station USW00012849, 1991–2020 |
| Days with 1 in or more | 2.3 | NOAA station USW00012849, 1991–2020 |
| Sea surface | 88.2°F (mean of daily maxima) | Open-Meteo Marine API, 2015–2024 |
| Daylight, Aug 15 | 13 h 05 min | sunrise-sunset.org |
| Sunrise / sunset, Aug 15 | 6:52 a.m. / 7:57 p.m. EDT | sunrise-sunset.org, converted from UTC |
Every figure here comes from a single thermometer: NOAA NCEI’s 1991–2020 monthly normals for station USW00012849, listed as “FT LAUDERDALE HOLLYWOOD AP”. It is a station normal rather than a grid-cell reanalysis, and the gauge sits at the airport, about three miles inland from the sand. On that instrument, August averages a high of 90.0°F (32.2°C) and a low of 77.9°F, with 7.89 inches of rain over the month. Read these as airport weather: our sources carry no gauge on the beach itself.
Measurable rain, 0.10 inch or more, falls on 11.2 days of an average August, a little over one day in three. A soaking of an inch or more comes on 2.3 days, so a two-week stay should expect about one day wet enough to rewrite the plan. Florida’s wet season runs on a near-daily pattern of afternoon thunderstorms (our Florida overview lays out both seasons), so put beach time in the morning and keep an indoor option for mid-afternoon.
Between the 90.0°F average high and the 77.9°F average low there are just 12.1°F. Shorts and linen cover the whole day and the whole evening. Pack a light rain shell or a compact umbrella for those 11.2 wet days, a second swimsuit so one can dry, and a single long-sleeved layer for air-conditioned restaurants and flights.
On August 15 the sun rises at 6:52 a.m. and sets at 7:57 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, about 13 hours 05 minutes of daylight (sunrise-sunset.org, converted from UTC). You get a beach walk well before breakfast and a late swim you can stretch toward 7:30 p.m. with the sun still above the horizon.
Can you swim in Fort Lauderdale in August? Sea temperature
Open-Meteo’s Marine API puts the sea surface off Fort Lauderdale at 88.2°F in August, averaged over 2015 to 2024. That number is a mean of daily maxima, the warmest reading of each day, so it runs a shade above a 24-hour average. Sea tables that average around the clock will print a slightly lower figure for the same water.
In practice, 88.2°F is about 10°F warmer than the 77.9°F average overnight low and less than 2°F below the 90.0°F average high. Getting in brings no cold shock, and a long swim does little to cool you down. Each of the three state parks named below lists one designated swimming area in Florida’s 2024 facilities inventory.
We could not verify a wave or wind series for August, so we give no surf or breeze figure. The dated risk is tropical: August falls inside the June 1 to November 30 hurricane season, and NOAA’s National Hurricane Center places most activity between mid-August and mid-October, ahead of the September 10 peak. Check the NHC outlook the evening before a beach day, and keep our Florida safety guide handy for storm steps.
How busy is Fort Lauderdale in August? Crowds and prices
August falls outside the November to April dry season that our Florida overview treats as the state’s main season. That much is calendar. We found no hotel occupancy or monthly room-rate series for Fort Lauderdale, so we crown no month cheap or expensive and quote no nightly price.
Port Everglades handled over 4.7 million cruise passengers in fiscal 2025, and it works as a homeport: ships start and end their voyages here, so the airport and the beach hotels fill on the same two days of the week. Look up the port’s sailing schedule for your week before you book a hotel night. We found no booking-window data either, and we give no number of weeks ahead.
Broward County levies a 6.0% transient rental tax, filed and paid alongside Florida’s 6% state sales tax, according to the Department of Revenue’s form DR-15TDT. Those two lines alone add 12% to the room price. Resort fees and parking come on top at many beach properties (our Florida trip-cost guide covers them), so compare totals at checkout.
Spend extra on a cancellable rate. With August inside the hurricane window and the season’s busiest stretch opening mid-month, a refundable room and a changeable flight protect the trip itself, and a bigger room or a better view does nothing about the forecast. Read the cancellation deadline before you pay.
Things to do in Fort Lauderdale in August
Of July, August and September, August holds the warmest sea off Fort Lauderdale: 88.2°F against 88.1°F and 87.7°F in Open-Meteo’s daily maxima. Add a 6:52 a.m. sunrise and a 7:57 p.m. sunset, and the month suits long water days built around the two cooler ends of the day.
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park is the largest of the three on the state’s 2024 count: 2.2 miles of beach, 4,531 feet of boardwalk, 2.6 miles of hiking trail and 1,410 parking spaces. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is compact, with 275 spaces, 0.1 mile of beach, 0.3 mile of trail and one canoe, kayak and tube launch. Oleta River State Park, on the bay side of the metro area, lists 925 spaces, 0.3 mile of beach and two launches. Check Florida State Parks for entrance fees and opening hours before you drive.
With rain on 11.2 days of an average August and a 90.0°F afternoon high at the airport, the trail and boardwalk at Mizell-Eula Johnson make a morning walk, started soon after sunrise. The launch at Hugh Taylor Birch works on the same schedule: put in early and be off the water before the wet season’s afternoon storms build. The swimming areas are the exception, usable all day in a sea that stays within 2°F of the air.
We could not verify entrance fees, so we list none of the three state parks as free. Broward County Parks and Recreation runs more than 50 regional parks, nature centers, neighborhood parks, natural areas and specialty parks on top of them, and its listings at broward.org/Parks show which ones charge admission. For attractions beyond the parks, see things to do in Florida.
Fort Lauderdale in August: a two-day itinerary
Day one. Be at Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park for the 6:52 a.m. sunrise and walk the 4,531 feet of boardwalk and the trail before mid-morning. Swim in the designated area while the air is still short of its 90.0°F average high. Through the middle of the day, when the heat peaks and the storms tend to gather, move lunch and pool time indoors or into shade. Return to the sand in the late afternoon for a second swim and stay for the 7:57 p.m. sunset.
Day two. Start at the Hugh Taylor Birch State Park canoe, kayak and tube launch at first light, then split the afternoon between beach and indoors according to the radar. On a storm day (2.3 August days bring an inch of rain or more), switch to the bus: a Broward County Transit ride costs $2.00 one way, and an All Day Pass is $5.00, bought on board. If a tropical system is forecast, follow the NHC advisories and your hotel’s instructions before any beach plan.
Fort Lauderdale in August vs July and September
| Measure | July | August | September |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 90.0°F | 90.0°F | 88.3°F |
| Average low | 77.6°F | 77.9°F | 77.1°F |
| Precipitation | 5.41 in | 7.89 in | 8.02 in |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 10.6 | 11.2 | 10.8 |
| Sea surface (daily maxima) | 88.1°F | 88.2°F | 87.7°F |
| Hurricane season | Inside | Inside, busiest stretch opens mid-month | Inside, peak Sep 10 |
July and August share a 90.0°F average high at the airport station, and August’s low is warmer by 0.3°F (77.9°F against 77.6°F). Rain separates them: 7.89 inches in August against 5.41 in July, with 11.2 measurable-rain days against 10.6. September lowers the high by 1.7°F to 88.3°F and the low to 77.1°F, yet brings the most rain of the three at 8.02 inches over 10.8 days. At sea, Open-Meteo’s daily maxima run 88.1°F, 88.2°F and 87.7°F.
Moving four weeks earlier to July costs a tenth of a degree of sea and spares you 2.48 inches of rain, and your dates land before the mid-August start of the season’s busiest stretch, though still inside hurricane season. Moving to September gives you a high 1.7°F lower but puts you on the September 10 peak, with 0.13 inch more rain than August. Our July and September guides have the full numbers.
Is August a good time to visit Fort Lauderdale?
Yes, for swimmers and for travelers who can book flexible: an 88.2°F sea and about 13 hours of daylight make August a strong water month. No, if your dates are fixed and non-refundable or your plan depends on long midday hikes, because the 90.0°F high, 11.2 rain days and the mid-August rise in hurricane activity all land at once.
If the answer is no, pick July: the same 90.0°F high, a sea only 0.1°F cooler, 2.48 fewer inches of rain, and dates ahead of the stretch where most hurricane activity sits. For drier weather altogether, our Florida best-time guide covers the November to April dry season.
At 88.2°F, August’s sea runs warmer than July’s or September’s in Open-Meteo’s 2015 to 2024 daily maxima, by a tenth of a degree over July and half a degree over September.
The last word
In August, the swim starts at dawn and the booking stays cancellable. Reserve the refundable rate first, check the Port Everglades sailings for your week second, and plan every beach hour around the 6:52 a.m. sunrise. To wake up inside a state park, look at Oleta River State Park: the state counts 14 cabins there, on the bay side of the metro area, alongside its two canoe, kayak and tube launches.
Sources & data for Fort Lauderdale in August
- August, July and September air normals and rain days · NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 monthly normals, station USW00012849 “FT LAUDERDALE HOLLYWOOD AP” · checked Sep 24, 2026 · station identity confirmed via NCEI Search, Sep 11, 2026
- Sea surface temperature, mean of daily maxima 2015–2024 · Open-Meteo Marine API · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Daylight and sunrise/sunset on Aug 15, converted from UTC to Eastern Daylight Time · sunrise-sunset.org · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Hurricane season, mid-August to mid-October activity and Sep 10 peak · NOAA National Hurricane Center · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Broward transient rental tax and state sales tax · Florida Department of Revenue, form DR-15TDT · checked Sep 24, 2026
- State park beaches, boardwalks, trails, launches, parking and cabins · Florida DEP Recreational Facilities Inventory, 2024 annual report · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Cruise passengers, fiscal 2025 · Broward County, Port Everglades “Cruise” page · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Bus fares · Broward County Transit fares page · checked Sep 24, 2026
- County parks count · Broward County Parks and Recreation · checked Sep 24, 2026
- FLL passenger boardings, 2024 · Federal Aviation Administration · checked Sep 24, 2026
- What we could not verify: state park entrance fees and opening hours, a wave or wind series, hotel occupancy or monthly room rates, a booking window, and the two weekdays of cruise turnaround. Our climate figures describe the airport, about three miles inland from the beach.
To plan your stay
- Things to Do in Fort Lauderdale: Three State Parks, 14 Cabins and $2.00 Bus Fares
- Best Time to Visit Fort Lauderdale: Weather, Sea Temperature and the Quiet Months
- Fort Lauderdale in July: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and Prices
- Fort Lauderdale in September: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and Hurricane Season