MIAMI · FEBRUARY · THE MONTH GUIDE
February brings Miami’s dry season onto the thermometer. The official 1991–2020 normals put the average afternoon at 78.2°F and the average night at 63.2°F. The Atlantic hurricane season, June 1 to November 30, sits months away on either side. Pack for a beach vacation with one light sweater in the suitcase. The sea off South Beach averages 76.9°F, measured as the warmest reading of each day.
Market data relayed by travel guides puts Miami hotel rates highest from February through April, so February opens the pricier stretch of the year. If your dates can still move, January and March sit four weeks away on either side, each with its own trade-off in warmth, water and crowds.
FEBRUARY AT A GLANCE · MIAMI
February gives Miami 78.2°F afternoons, 3.6 rain days and a 76.9°F sea, outside hurricane season, at the start of the stretch when hotel rates run highest.
DRY SEASON · OUTSIDE HURRICANE SEASON · NOAA NORMALS, MIAMI INTERNATIONAL
Go for: beach afternoons near 78°F, garden and museum days in dry air, and a free trolley up and down Miami Beach.
Think twice before: booking on a tight budget. Guides place hotel rates highest from February to April, and resort fees come on top.
Climate: NOAA NCEI, Miami International · Sea: Open-Meteo Marine · full sources at the end
On this page
- Miami weather in February78.2°F highs, 63.2°F lows and 3.6 rain days
- Can you swim in Miami in February?The sea averages 76.9°F in daily maxima
- Hotel prices and crowds in FebruaryWhere February sits in the price year, plus 12% in room taxes
- Things to do in Miami in FebruaryVizcaya, PAMM, Lummus Park and Crandon Park
- A two-day Miami itinerary for FebruaryTwo days that end at a 6:14 p.m. sunset
- Miami in February vs January and MarchHow highs, rain and sea compare across three months
- Is February a good time to visit Miami?Who should go in February, and when to go instead
Flying in, Miami International (MIA) is about 12 miles from South Beach, 20 to 45 minutes by car depending on traffic. Route 150, the Miami Beach Airport Express, leaves the airport Metrorail station for Mid Beach over the Julia Tuttle Causeway about every 30 minutes, 5 a.m. to midnight, for $2.25, with luggage racks aboard. For Downtown or Brickell, the MIA Mover links the terminals to the Metrorail Orange Line, running roughly every 15 minutes for the same $2.25 fare. Our getting-around guide covers the rest of the network.
Miami weather in February: average highs, lows and rain days
| February normal | Value |
|---|---|
| Average high | 78.2°F |
| Average low | 63.2°F |
| Precipitation | 2.15 in |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 3.6 |
| Days with 1 in or more | 0.5 |
| Daylight on Feb 15 | 11 h 20 min |
| Sunrise / sunset, Feb 15 (EST) | 6:54 a.m. / 6:14 p.m. |
| Sea surface (mean of daily maxima) | 76.9°F |
Every figure here comes from one thermometer: the 1991–2020 monthly normals of NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, station USW00012839 at Miami International Airport. That makes it a station normal, a real instrument, rather than a reanalysis of a grid cell. February’s average high is 78.2°F, the average low 63.2°F, and the month collects 2.15 inches of precipitation. The gauge sits inland, about 12 miles from South Beach.
Measurable rain, 0.10 inch or more, falls on 3.6 days of an average February: roughly one day in eight. A soaking of an inch or more averages 0.5 day, so about every other February gets one real downpour. June at the same gauge collects 10.51 inches against February’s 2.15. Keep a compact umbrella in the day bag and an indoor stop like PAMM in reserve, and leave the trip plan as it is.
The average high and low sit 15 degrees apart. At 63.2°F, early mornings and late evenings call for long sleeves or a light sweater, while the 78.2°F afternoon is shorts-and-sandals weather. Pack one warm layer per person for outdoor dinners and the sunrise walk, and leave the heavy jacket at home.
On February 15 Miami gets about 11 hours 20 minutes of daylight. Sunrise-sunset.org gives 11:54 and 23:14 UTC, or 6:54 a.m. and 6:14 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Vizcaya’s last admission at 4:30 p.m. falls well before dusk, with time left to reach South Pointe Park for sunset and book a dinner table after dark.
Can you swim in Miami in February? Sea temperature and what it feels like
Open-Meteo’s Marine data puts the sea surface off Miami at 76.9°F in February, averaged over 2015 to 2024. That figure is a mean of daily maxima, the warmest reading of each day, so it runs a shade warmer than a 24-hour average. Other tables disagree: seatemperature.org and Current Results describe a winter sea around 72°F. Expect the water somewhere in that band, nearer the upper figure in the afternoon.
Taking the 76.9°F figure, the sea sits 1.3 degrees below the 78.2°F average high, so an after-lunch swim means warm air and water only slightly cooler. A morning dip goes differently: with the average low at 63.2°F, stepping out onto the sand is the chilly part. Lummus Park, the free beach that fronts Ocean Drive between 5th and 15th Streets, has lifeguards on duty and public restrooms for changing.
We could not find wind or swell figures for Miami in February in our sources, so we give no wave height or wind speed. Ask the lifeguards at Lummus Park about conditions on the day, and check the marine forecast the evening before a beach morning.
How busy is Miami in February? Crowds and prices
Statewide, Florida’s dry season runs November through April, and South Florida’s warm, dry stretch runs December through April. Within the year, market data relayed by travel guides puts Miami hotel rates lowest from August to October and highest from February to April. That comes from market reporting, with no official series behind it, and it places February at the opening of the priciest band.
We found no data on how far ahead February rooms sell out, so we give no number of weeks. Book flights first, then a refundable room as soon as the dates hold. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL) is the fallback airport, about 25 miles from South Beach and 35 to 50 minutes on I-95. Our Florida flights guide compares the airports.
Miami-Dade County levies a 6.0% transient rental tax, filed and paid together with the 6% state sales tax, so a room rate carries 12% in those two taxes. We could not verify whether a municipality adds its own levy on top, so we give no further percentage. Ask for the all-in nightly total before paying a deposit.
Spend the extra on a Miami Beach room close to the free trolley, which runs 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day on five routes and lets you drop the rental car and its parking. Then check the resort fee many Miami Beach hotels add each night: published figures diverge widely, from about $25 on average to $35 to $95 depending on the property. Compare totals with our where-to-stay guide and Florida trip cost.
Things to do in Miami in February
February’s 78.2°F afternoons suit long outdoor hours: a garden walk at noon, a beach swim, a day trip into the Everglades. Summer highs reach about 90°F with humidity between 85 and 90 percent and afternoon thunderstorms, and hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30. February falls outside both. Our Everglades guide covers the park’s entrances, and the Florida things-to-do list goes statewide.
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, in north Coconut Grove inside the City of Miami, opens Wednesday to Monday from 9:30 a.m., last admission 4:30 p.m., and closes Tuesdays. Adults pay $20 during restoration work (usually $25), children 6 to 12 pay $5, under-6s enter free. Lummus Park is free and open 24 hours. South Pointe Park is free to enter, its lot from $2 an hour or a $20 flat rate on weekends and holidays. Crandon Park on Key Biscayne charges $7 to park on weekdays, $10 at weekends. Everglades National Park charges $35 per private vehicle for seven days.
Vizcaya’s bayfront gardens make a comfortable midday walk at February’s 78.2°F average high, against about 90°F and heavy humidity in summer. The 11 hours 20 minutes of daylight shape an Everglades day: the three entrances and the Flamingo Visitor Center are each at least an hour’s drive apart, so plan one entrance per February day. On a Tuesday, when Vizcaya is closed, Crandon Park’s $7 weekday lot and a 76.9°F sea make the obvious beach day.
Free in February, as in every month: Lummus Park and entry to South Pointe Park. The Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is free from 5 to 9 p.m. every Thursday, so the first hour runs before the 6:14 p.m. sunset. It is also free all day on the second Saturday of each month, with art-making from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The free Metromover serves Downtown and Brickell, with cars every 90 seconds at rush hour and every three minutes off-peak. Its hours diverge by source: Miami-Dade publishes 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, other sources say 5 a.m. to midnight. Check at the station.
Miami in February: a two-day itinerary
Day one, Miami Beach. Walk Ocean Drive for the 6:54 a.m. sunrise with a sweater, since the average low is 63.2°F. After breakfast, head to Lummus Park as the air climbs toward the 78.2°F average high, and save the swim for after lunch. The free trolley starts at 8 a.m. and comes about every 20 minutes. Late afternoon, make your way south to South Pointe Park for the 6:14 p.m. sunset, then dinner after dark, with the trolley running until 11 p.m. for the ride back.
Day two, the mainland. Take Metrobus 120, the Beach MAX, over the MacArthur Causeway to the Downtown Bus Terminal for $2.25, with a free transfer to Metrorail, and ride to Vizcaya station, a few minutes’ walk from the gardens, for the 9:30 a.m. opening. Skip this plan on a Tuesday. Spend the afternoon on the free Metromover around Downtown and Brickell, and on a Thursday end at PAMM from 5 p.m. If the day turns wet, and February averages 3.6 rain days, swap the order: PAMM first, Vizcaya’s gardens once it clears, before the 4:30 p.m. last admission.
Miami in February vs January and March
| NOAA normal / sea | January | February | March |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 76.2°F | 78.2°F | 80.6°F |
| Average low | 61.0°F | 63.2°F | 65.6°F |
| Precipitation | 1.83 in | 2.15 in | 2.46 in |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.5 |
| Sea surface (daily maxima) | 77.0°F | 76.9°F | 78.4°F |
| Hurricane season | Outside | Outside | Outside |
In the NOAA normals, February’s 78.2°F average high sits 2.0 degrees above January’s 76.2°F and 2.4 below March’s 80.6°F. Nights climb in step, from 61.0°F to 63.2°F to 65.6°F. Rainfall grows from 1.83 to 2.15 to 2.46 inches, while days of measurable rain slip from 3.8 to 3.6 to 3.5. The sea hardly moves until March: 77.0°F in January, 76.9°F in February and 78.4°F in March, all as means of daily maxima.
Going four weeks earlier costs 2 degrees of afternoon warmth for water 0.1 degree warmer, and January sits outside the February-to-April band where guides place the highest hotel rates. Going four weeks later buys 1.5 degrees of sea and a crowded calendar: the 2027 Miami Open runs March 14 to 28 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens (dates subject to change), and Ultra Music Festival takes Bayfront Park on March 26 to 28, 2027. For spring break 2026, Miami Beach set its four Art Deco District garages to flat rates of $40 to $100 and non-resident towing at $548. The city publishes a new plan each winter, so 2027 figures may differ.
Is February a good time to visit Miami?
Yes, for travelers who want to swim and walk in the same day: 78.2°F afternoons, a sea logged at 76.9°F in daily maxima, 3.6 rain days and no hurricane season. Go with less conviction on a tight budget, since guides place hotel rates highest from February to April, or if you want the warmest sea of the three months: March, at 78.4°F.
If February’s prices rule it out, pick January: 76.2°F highs, a 77.0°F sea, 3.8 rain days, and dates outside the band where guides put the highest rates. For warmer water, March gives 78.4°F in the sea and 80.6°F on land, alongside the Miami Open and Ultra on the 2027 calendar. Statewide trade-offs are in our Florida best-time guide.
February is the warmer of the two dry-season months before the March 2027 event calendar fills, at 78.2°F against January’s 76.2°F.
The last word
Settle the budget first. All three months sit in the dry season, and February buys two degrees of afternoon over January for rates in the band guides call the highest. Then travel cheaply on the ground: Miami-Dade caps Metrorail and Metrobus fares at $5.65 a day, so a mainland day with the Beach MAX, the transfer and the ride to Vizcaya station never costs more than that, however many times you board.
Sources & data for this guide
- Miami normals for January, February and March (highs, lows, precipitation, rain days) · NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 monthly normals, station USW00012839, Miami International Airport · checked Sep 24, 2026
- June rainfall (10.51 in) and summer heat and humidity · NOAA 1991–2020 normals and seasonal guides · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Sea surface temperature, mean of daily maxima 2015–2024 · Open-Meteo Marine API · checked Sep 24, 2026 · seatemperature.org and Current Results give about 72°F for winter, a divergence we leave open
- Daylight, sunrise and sunset on Feb 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
- Transient rental tax · Florida Department of Revenue, form DR-15TDT · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Hotel rate seasons · market data relayed by travel guides, a trend and not an official statistic · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Resort fees · fee comparison sites and local guides, strongly divergent, so we give a range · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Vizcaya hours, prices and location · vizcaya.org · checked Sep 24, 2026
- PAMM free hours · pamm.org · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Lummus Park, South Pointe Park and Crandon Park access and parking · City of Miami Beach, Miami-Dade Parks · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Airports, Metrorail, routes 120 and 150, fares, fare cap, trolley and Metromover · Miami-Dade Transit, Miami International Airport, City of Miami Beach · checked Sep 24, 2026 · Metromover hours diverge between sources
- Miami Open and Ultra 2027 dates · miamiopen.com, ultramusicfestival.com · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Spring break 2026 parking and towing · City of Miami Beach via NBC 6, Time Out Miami and CBS News Miami · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Everglades vehicle fee and entrance distances · National Park Service · read date not logged in our notes, check before you drive
- We found no wind, swell or booking-lead data for February and no February event date we could verify, so we give none.