Fort Lauderdale in February: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and a Two-Day Plan

FLORIDA · FORT LAUDERDALE · FEBRUARY

Fort Lauderdale in February means average highs of 77.4°F, an Atlantic that reads 77.5°F in daily maxima, and a trip that falls months clear of the hurricane season opening on June 1. For a winter vacation away from snow, that combination covers a noon swim, a dawn walk on a state park boardwalk and dinner outside with a sweater on.

Lows average 63.3°F at the airport gauge, and on February 15 the sun sets at 6:14 pm Eastern, so the warm part of the day runs from late morning to mid-afternoon. For a long weekend of three or four nights (est.), put the sand in that window and save the mornings for the state parks, where the boardwalks and trails make cool walking before the air warms.

On this page

• Fort Lauderdale weather in February77.4°F highs, 63.3°F lows and 3.4 wet days
• Is the ocean warm enough to swim in February?A 77.5°F sea, and what that figure measures
• Crowds and hotel prices in FebruaryCruise days at Port Everglades and the 6% county room tax
• Things to do in Fort Lauderdale in FebruaryThree state parks with beaches, boardwalks and paddle launches
• A two-day Fort Lauderdale itineraryTwo days built around a 6:54 am sunrise and a 6:14 pm sunset
• February vs January and MarchHow the three months compare on air, rain and sea
• Is February a good time to visit?Who should book February, and who should wait for March

Getting here is simple. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International boarded 17,096,131 passengers in 2024, enough for the FAA to class it a large hub, and our Florida flights guide sets FLL against Miami and Palm Beach for fares and routes.

Fort Lauderdale weather in February: average highs, lows and rain days

Every figure here is a NOAA NCEI normal for 1991-2020, read from one real thermometer: station USW00012849, filed as “FT LAUDERDALE HOLLYWOOD AP.” It is a station record rather than a reanalysis grid cell, and the gauge stands at the airport, about three miles inland from the sand. For February it logs an average high of 77.4°F (25.2°C), an average low of 63.3°F (17.4°C) and 2.38 inches of precipitation. Readings at the beach can differ from an inland airport, so use these numbers as the city’s baseline for planning.

Rain is measurable (0.10 inch or more) on 3.4 days of an average February, roughly one day in eight. Inch-plus days average 0.7 a month, about seven heavy soakers for every ten Februaries. On a five-day trip, the average works out to about 0.6 wet day. Pack a light rain shell and keep one indoor fallback in your plan.

The average day swings 14.1°F, from a 63.3°F low to a 77.4°F high. Pack for both ends: swimsuit and shorts for midday, plus a long-sleeve layer or light sweater for a 7 am boardwalk walk or a table outside after dark. Closed shoes help on the morning trails. A light jacket covers dinner.

On February 15 Fort Lauderdale gets about 11 hours 19 minutes of daylight. Converted from sunrise-sunset.org’s UTC times to Eastern Standard Time, the sun rises at 6:54 am and sets at 6:14 pm. Book dinner for 6:30 pm or later if you want the sunset first, and plan beach photos for the half hour before 6:14.

Can you swim in Fort Lauderdale in February? Sea temperature and what it feels like

Sea surface off Fort Lauderdale averages 77.5°F in February, according to the Open-Meteo Marine API over 2015 to 2024. That figure is the mean of daily maxima, the warmest reading of each day, so it runs a shade above a 24-hour average. Sea tables built on round-the-clock means will print a lower February number, and both can be right because they measure different things. The marine series also covers a different decade from the NOAA air normals.

For a swimmer, 77.5°F water against a 63.3°F dawn makes the sea about 14°F warmer than the air at breakfast, and the chill arrives when you step out wet. By early afternoon the air averages 77.4°F, within a tenth of a degree of the water, the most comfortable stretch to swim and dry off. Go in between about 11 am and 3 pm (est.) and keep a towel and a dry layer within reach.

Our sources carry no wind or swell series for February, so we can give no average wave height or breeze speed. Before swimming, check the National Weather Service surf-zone forecast and the flag at the lifeguard stand, which reflect that day’s rip-current risk.

How busy is Fort Lauderdale in February? Crowds and prices

February falls inside the November-to-April dry season that Florida’s winter tourism is built around (our Florida calendar covers all twelve months), and well outside hurricane season. We found no hotel occupancy series and no monthly room-rate data for Fort Lauderdale, so we rank no month as the priciest or the cheapest. Budget lines for a Florida week live in our trip-cost guide.

Port Everglades handled over 4.7 million cruise passengers in fiscal 2025. As a homeport, it is where ships start and end their voyages, so the airport and the beach hotels fill on the same two days of each week. Pull up the port’s sailing schedule before you book and aim your arrival away from those days. We found no booking-lead data, and our editorial rule is a refundable room reserved six weeks out (est.).

Broward County levies a 6.0% transient rental tax on stays, filed and paid together with Florida’s 6% state sales tax, per the Florida Department of Revenue’s form DR-15TDT. Ask whether a quoted nightly rate includes both before comparing two properties, since one listing may show the taxes and another may leave them for checkout.

Pay extra, if anywhere, for a room within walking distance of the beach. With the swim window running from late morning to mid-afternoon and the sun down at 6:14 pm, a beach-walk room lets you swim twice, shower and still catch the light. A cheaper room out by the airport adds a drive at each end of that short window. Our Florida where-to-stay guide covers the trade-offs.

Things to do in Fort Lauderdale in February

Highs of 77.4°F and only 3.4 measurable-rain days put a boardwalk walk, a swim and a paddle into the same February day. Hurricane season does not open until June 1, so a February booking sits outside the storm calendar entirely. More ideas across the state are in our Florida things-to-do guide.

In the state’s 2024 facilities inventory, Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park counts 2.2 miles of beach, 2.6 miles of hiking trail, 4,531 feet of boardwalk, one designated swimming area and 1,410 parking spaces. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is smaller: 0.1 mile of beach, 0.3 mile of trail, 60 feet of boardwalk, one swimming area, a canoe, kayak and tube launch, and 275 spaces. Oleta River State Park sits on the bay side of the metro area, with 0.3 mile of beach, one swimming area, two paddle launches and 925 spaces.

None of those counts moves with the calendar. The air around them does: at a 63.3°F low, the 2.6 miles of trail at Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson make cool walking early, and by early afternoon a 77.4°F high against a 77.5°F sea sends you to its swimming area. Save the paddle launches at Hugh Taylor Birch and Oleta for late morning, once the morning chill has lifted off the water.

We could not read an entrance fee or an opening hour for any of the three state parks, so we call none of them free and give no gate times. Check Florida State Parks before you drive. Beyond those three, Broward County Parks and Recreation runs more than 50 regional parks, nature centers, neighborhood parks, natural areas and specialty parks. Look up each one’s fees at broward.org/Parks before you go.

Fort Lauderdale in February: a two-day itinerary

Day one. Reach Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park soon after the 6:54 am sunrise (confirm gate hours first, since we could not verify them) with a sweater, and walk the boardwalk and trail while the air sits near its 63.3°F low. Around 11 am, change and use the designated swimming area through the warmest hours, when air and sea both average about 77°F. Eat a late lunch, rest, then head back out by 5 pm for the last hour of light before the 6:14 pm sunset. Book dinner for 7 and keep the jacket in the car.

Day two. Launch a kayak or canoe at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park in late morning and walk its 0.3 mile of trail after, or drive to Oleta River State Park for its two launches on the bay. If the day turns into one of February’s 3.4 wet ones, a Broward County Transit All Day Pass costs $5.00 on the bus (a single ride is $2.00), and our Florida getting-around guide covers the Brightline train to Miami for a city day under cover. Keep the paddle for the next dry morning.

Fort Lauderdale in February vs January and March

In the NOAA station normals, February’s 77.4°F high sits 1.8°F above January’s 75.6°F and 2.3°F below March’s 79.7°F. Its 63.3°F low runs 2.4°F above January and 2.3°F below March. On rain, January logs 2.90 inches over 3.8 measurable days, while February and March both log 2.38 inches over 3.4. The sea, from the Open-Meteo Marine API’s daily maxima for 2015 to 2024, reads 77.6°F in January, 77.5°F in February and 78.6°F in March, so February’s water sits a tenth of a degree below January’s.

Moving the trip four weeks earlier costs 1.8°F at midday, 2.4°F at night and half an inch more rain, and buys no warmer water. Moving it four weeks later adds 2.3°F to both ends of the day and 1.1°F to the sea with the same 3.4 rain days, but lands in March, flagged in our Florida overview as spring-break month for the beach towns. Our January and March guides cover each month in the same detail.

Is February a good time to visit Fort Lauderdale?

Yes, for travelers who want the beach and the trails in the same day: a 77.4°F high, a 77.5°F sea and 3.4 wet days suit swimmers, walkers and paddlers on a long weekend. No, for anyone who needs warm evenings outdoors or water well above 78°F, since nights average 63.3°F and the sea holds at January’s level.

If the second group sounds like you, book March. Its sea reads 78.6°F in the marine series and its low climbs to 65.6°F with no extra rain days, in exchange for sharing the beach towns with spring break. If crowds bother you more than a cool evening, stay with February and pack the sweater.

Of the three months, February is the only one where the midday air (77.4°F at the airport station) and the sea (77.5°F in daily maxima) sit within a tenth of a degree of each other.

The last word

Decide first how much of each day you want in the water. If swimming is the heart of the trip, February’s late-morning to mid-afternoon window, with air and sea both near 77°F, covers it, and March matters only if you want warmer evenings. Then book the bed to match: a beach-walk room for the swimmers, or one of the 14 cabins at Oleta River State Park for paddlers who want to sleep inside a state park on the bay side. Bring the sweater for 7 am.

Sources & data for this guide

• February, January and March air normals (high, low, precipitation, rain days) · NOAA NCEI monthly normals 1991-2020, station USW00012849, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Station name and airport location about three miles inland · NOAA NCEI Search service · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Sea surface temperature, mean of daily maxima 2015-2024 · Open-Meteo Marine API · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Daylight, sunrise and sunset on February 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted from UTC to Eastern Standard Time · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Hurricane season dates · 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 beach, trail, boardwalk, launch, cabin and parking counts · Florida DEP Recreational Facilities Inventory, 2024 annual report · checked Sep 24, 2026
• FLL passenger boardings, calendar 2024 · Federal Aviation Administration · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Port Everglades cruise passengers, FY2025 · Broward County, porteverglades.net · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Broward County Transit fares · broward.org/bct/fares · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Broward County park count · broward.org/Parks · checked Sep 24, 2026
• What we could not verify: state park entrance fees and opening hours, wind and swell averages, monthly hotel occupancy or room rates, and booking lead times. Swim windows, trip length and booking advice marked (est.) are editorial.

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 January: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and Things to Do
• Fort Lauderdale in March: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and a Two-Day Itinerary

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• Biscayne National Park: Boat Access, Docking Fees and the Northernmost Keys
• Miami Travel Guide: Miami or Miami Beach, Neighborhoods, Beaches and Getting Around Without a Car