Destin-Fort Walton Beach weather by month & the best time to visit
🇺🇸 United States · beach resort · humid subtropical climate
The best time to visit Destin-Fort Walton Beach is May — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 79/100), with October and November close behind. Destin-Fort Walton Beach averages about 2,690 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 28°C / 82°F and roughly 84 mm of rain in May.
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- Sun hours / year
- 2,690
- Sunniest month
- May
- Peak score
- 79/100
- Rain / year
- 1,504 mm
- Midday UV at peak
- 9 (very high)
- Sea at warmest
- 31°C / 88°F
- Population
- 22k
- Elevation
- 18 m
When is the best time to visit Destin-Fort Walton Beach?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Destin-Fort Walton Beach is May, then October and November. The dullest month is January (52/100, 95 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Destin-Fort Walton Beach?
Destin-Fort Walton Beach gets a lot of sun: around 2,690 hours a year. May (79/100) is noticeably better than January (52). It ranks #145 of 580 destinations in United States for annual sunshine, above the national median of 2,279 hours. The year's 1,504 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52 | 16° / 61°F | 6° / 43°F | 95 mm | 4 | 16° / 61°F |
| February | 59 | 18° / 64°F | 8° / 46°F | 128 mm | 5 | 17° / 63°F |
| March | 74 | 21° / 70°F | 11° / 52°F | 114 mm | 7 | 19° / 66°F |
| April | 71 | 24° / 75°F | 15° / 59°F | 128 mm | 8 | 22° / 72°F |
| May | 79 | 28° / 82°F | 19° / 66°F | 84 mm | 9 | 26° / 79°F |
| June | 67 | 31° / 88°F | 23° / 73°F | 152 mm | 9 | 28° / 82°F |
| July | 67 | 31° / 88°F | 25° / 77°F | 173 mm | 9 | 30° / 86°F |
| August | 67 | 31° / 88°F | 24° / 75°F | 179 mm | 8 | 31° / 88°F |
| September | 71 | 30° / 86°F | 22° / 72°F | 132 mm | 8 | 30° / 86°F |
| October | 78 | 26° / 79°F | 17° / 63°F | 93 mm | 6 | 25° / 77°F |
| November | 78 | 21° / 70°F | 11° / 52°F | 91 mm | 4 | 22° / 72°F |
| December | 58 | 18° / 64°F | 8° / 46°F | 135 mm | 3 | 18° / 64°F |
Sea temperature in Destin-Fort Walton Beach by month
The sea off Destin-Fort Walton Beach is warmest in August at around 31°C / 88°F, and coolest in January at 16°C / 61°F. The water sits at a comfortable 21°C or warmer roughly 8 months a year. Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
See Destin-Fort Walton Beach on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Pensacola United States · 64 km · best in Nov · 2,723 h sun/yr
- Panama City Beach United States · 70 km · best in May · 2,639 h sun/yr
- Mobile United States · 167 km · best in Nov · 2,621 h sun/yr
- Montgomery United States · 203 km · best in Oct · 2,509 h sun/yr
- Tallahassee United States · 207 km · best in Oct · 2,611 h sun/yr
- Gulfport United States · 245 km · best in Nov · 2,546 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Destin United States · 10 km · 2,690 h sun/yr · best in May
- Dothan United States · 138 km · 2,611 h sun/yr · best in Oct
Head-to-head
How Destin-Fort Walton Beach compares month by month: Destin-Fort Walton Beach vs Mobile · Destin-Fort Walton Beach vs Tallahassee · Destin-Fort Walton Beach vs Montgomery · Destin-Fort Walton Beach vs Pensacola · all comparisons
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