Lakeland, Florida Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Lakeland weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 10:19 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Showers later34%0.87″86°72°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast26%—84°73°-2°
- WednesdaySep 23Thunderstorm66%—87°73°+3°
- ThursdaySep 24Light Drizzle52%—90°73°+3°
- FridaySep 25Light Drizzle26%—83°73°-7°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast19%—87°71°+4°
- SundaySep 27Light Drizzle17%—87°66°0°
Air quality now AQI 42 · Good
AQI 42 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 8.4 µg/m³ (AQI 47) with a 0.79 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 8.4 µg/m³ (AQI 47) with a 0.79 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.79
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:30 PM
- Moonset
- 2:21 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Lakeland at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 79°F (high 86°F, low 72°F), about the 78°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: January 26 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 9 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash; harvest beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Lakeland
- Mon86°72°34%
- Tue84°73°26%
- Wed87°73°66%
- Thu90°73°52%
- Fri83°73°26%
- Sat87°71°19%
- Sun87°66°17%
- Mon87°70°27%
- Tue88°70°36%
- Wed90°72°39%
- Thu90°73°43%
- Fri90°74°58%
- Sat88°73°52%
- Sun90°73°56%
- Mon92°75°55%
- Tue74°71°52%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Lakeland
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Lakeland — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of September 21, the growing season is at its peak — the first frost (around January 9) is weeks away. Fall transplants go in about 10–12 weeks before the first frost, October 17 to October 31 here. This city's planting calendar for September: plant tomatoes, peppers, beans, and squash; harvest beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Lakeland
SPC includes Lakeland in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Lakeland
Lakeland sits in Polk County, where the year’s longest day runs 13h 55m of daylight and its shortest just 10h 22m — a swing of +3h 34m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Miami, the state’s largest city, lies about 190 miles to the SE. The nearest town Lakeland tracks is Willow Oak, roughly 10 miles to the SSW.
Air quality in Lakeland
Air quality in Lakeland’s county has trended cleaner since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2025 (median AQI 34). See the full air-quality history for Lakeland.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| February | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, spinach, radishes, fall brassicas, carrots |
| March | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| April | beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash |
| May | beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, garlic |
| June | beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| July | beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| August | beans, squash | beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| November | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| December | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
A year in weather
Lakeland's warmest month is August (~81°F mean) and its coldest is January (~61°F). Rainfall peaks in July (6.4 inches) and bottoms out in November (1.2 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 2.3″ |
| February | 62° | 2.3″ |
| March | 66° | 2.7″ |
| April | 72° | 2.5″ |
| May | 78° | 2.6″ |
| June | 81° | 5.9″ |
| July | 81° | 6.4″ |
| August | 81° | 6.1″ |
| September | 79° | 4.9″ |
| October | 75° | 2.1″ |
| November | 67° | 1.2″ |
| December | 63° | 1.9″ |
Regional context
Similar climates Combee Settlement, FL, Crystal Lake, FL, Fussels Corner, FL
Per modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo), Lakeland runs from a 61°F January mean to 81°F in July, a 20°F seasonal spread, with near 40.9 inches of precipitation.
Summer convection drives Lakeland's precipitation: July logs 6.4 inches, against November's 1.2 inches — warm-season storms carry Lakeland's moisture. Lakeland shares that warm-season-wet pattern with places like Combee Settlement, FL, Crystal Lake, FL and Fussels Corner, FL.
Around January 26, Lakeland sheds its freezing nights — lettuce, chard, arugula, and mustard greens go into Lakeland's beds. Heat-demanding starts go out a fortnight on in Lakeland, after the soil warms and cold snaps clear. By January 9, frost is back in Lakeland — protect or harvest anything tender. Open lawns in Lakeland whiten first when frost returns.
Similar climates: Combee Settlement, FL, Crystal Lake, FL, Fussels Corner, FL, Lakeland Highlands, FL, Kathleen, FL.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Lakeland?
- Frost reaches Lakeland near January 9 in a typical winter and is gone from Lakeland by January 26.
- What is the rainy season in Lakeland?
- Rainfall in Lakeland peaks in July near 6.4 inches, out of about 41 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Lakeland?
- August is Lakeland's warmest month, averaging about 81°F.
- What is the coldest month in Lakeland?
- Lakeland bottoms out in January, with a mean near 61°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Lakeland?
- Lakeland's last frost (January 26) cues hardy greens; in Lakeland, hold heat-lovers two weeks past.
- What hardiness zone is Lakeland?
- Lakeland's hardiness zone tracks its winter low; with January near 61°F, check the USDA ZIP map for the exact zone.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Lakeland?
- Lakeland's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Lakeland?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Lakeland in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Lakeland?
- Current conditions for Lakeland and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Lakeland forecast updated?
- The Lakeland forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Lakeland?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Lakeland are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Lakeland?
- The next few days in Lakeland's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Lakeland sits at 28.1°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Lakeland
- 33801
- 33802
- 33803
- 33804
- 33805
- 33806
- 33809
- 33810
- 33811
- 33812
- 33813
- 33815