Living on the Florida coast my entire life has its perks, being well aware of the weather is certainly one of them. After 3 years of intentionally monitoring the weather on St. George Island and the surrounding areas I feel pretty confident in making a call to proceed, reschedule or all out cancel a beach photo session. Thankfully I've never had to cancel a session and I've only had to reschedule ONCE over the course of three years due to the so called "unpredictable Florida weather."
Certainly, the weather varies from season to season with the most questionable being late summer. (Hellooo Hurricane Season!) Even still, it's less of a concern than many seem to anticipate.
Let's Talk Spring Weather
Spring on St. George Island is probably my top choice for a few reasons. Life is returning to all the vegetation along the shoreline, this gives gorgeous shades of green to an already stunning landscape. This time of year the beach is less crowded than summer because many know the water is still fairly cool from the winter and temperatures are still pretty low for those from the lower united states to tolerate in their swim gear. I will say if you're from above the Mason-Dixon line, you'll probably be thrilled with our spring temperatures.
On to a St. George Island Summer
The trickiest of all four seasons here on the coast is summer. However, that doesn't mean it's entirely unpredictable. If anything, it's very consistent in maintaining a daily observable pattern. Summer showers almost always come after the mid-day heat but move right on out before the late afternoon and/or evening hours. This dissipation is a KEY factor in whether or not a beach photo session will be affected. The heat pulls moisture up out of the gulf and like a magnet the shore pulls the storm clouds in. It's only a matter of time before the clouds are just too heavy, but in our area you can watch them build thousands of feet into the atmosphere. (A breath-taking sight.) Once the bottom falls out from the "weight," it's normally no more than a few hours before it's completely gone in the summer. As long as the weather clears out by 4/5pm I can confidently say we will be good to go, with only the potential for overcast during the session.
A Florida Fall
Fall is the like the peak of intensity, when it comes to the types of storms we have on the Florida Coast. Hurricane season still hasn't quite come to a close and the cool temperatures from the west bring in a fair bit of strong storms when it collides with the southern hot and humid air. This season makes for some more difficult weather in the afternoons, cooler temps can prolong the rainfall right through sunset, but usually only when it has been raining all day long already. It's really common to just have a lot of cloud cover much like the winter season.
No White Winter Here
For many Floridians it's a bit of a bummer we've never really seen snow, but if you're reading this there's a good chance you've seen it, lived it, and are craving a break with sun on your skin. Thank goodness even during the winter in Florida you can have perfect sunny days. That is if you don't mind the windchill. Granted, I've experienced an eighty-degree Christmas Day, so there's no saying it's impossible to get a swim in while you visit in the "cold" months. We do still experience our share of winter storms, but they tend to be most heavily overcast from January to February. December can be somewhat cloudy, but with the moisture in the air rain typically will last a day or two and clear up for a few days more. Be warned though, the days that follow rain are far cooler than those before the storm.
Below I've included just a few more views of the Island throughout the year with a few various cloud formations.
Looking to reserve a family portrait session during your stay on St. George Island? Well, you've found yourself on just the right blog. My name is Kelsey, I specialize in Fine Art Family + Motherhood Portraiture on the beach. I offer a truly luxury experience to immediate and extended families from St. George Island and Cape San Blas to Pensacola and Navarre Beach.
Some of these landscapes are available for largescale framed art purchase in my gallery shop.