Norm Houze

I am requesting brief opinions regarding the issues below.

1. What are the prevailing winds along the Atlantic Coast highway routes between Miami and Jacksonville during mid-July at the hours of 9:00am-5:00pm?

2. Are the winds predominantly gentle, mild, moderate, severe, or unpredictable?

3. If you were riding a bike between Miami and Jacksonville, which direction would you go for tailwinds?

4. What can we expect regarding rain and storms? We know it will be hot/humid.

5. In your opinion, which north-south coastal highway route has the least motorized traffic and is safest? (Even if some of you would never ride a highway)

Thanks for your help.

RWTD

IMO as far as winds you should generally have a moderate to severe breeze coming off the ocean and picking up as the day goes on so as for planning for winds I would l just choose the direction based on other factors.While July is not as bad as June it is the second worse month of the rainy season and you should probably be prepared for heavy afternoon thundershowers on any afternoon which can happen for days on end .The good news is given the humidity this can actually be somewhat of a relief if you get use to it.The downside is it brings out bugs and though fairly early in the hurricane season it would not be unheard of to encounter a hurricane or more likely a water spout offshore causing strong wind and storm.So as far as direction I would wait to near time and plan the route with least chance of severe weather.The heat can reach the 100 and above level midday so I would plan on getting early even predawn starts and taking a lot of midday breaks a good reason to stick to A1A the ocean route due to breezes,showers along the beach and of course the ocean itself. Sticking to the coast I would take A1A as much as possible opting for route 1 only were necessary as it is more congested in areas and the drivers can be rude.Alternatively if you have a little more time you may consider an inland route through the center of the state taking route 1 from Miami to route 27 up to past the Orlando area and then working your way across to Jacksonville (I would hit the Ocala National Forest area if you do this).However the inland route may be unbearable this time of year lacking the ocean breezes to provide any relief from the heat. Check in the touring archives my late Nov-early Dec Ft .Lauderdale to Gainesville round trip tour that covered both these routes and detailed road conditions .You may also check my Keys tour in the same archive searching or scrolling back to last 4th of July weekend for weather conditions in that time frame though I was lucky/unlucky that there was not much rain though the midday temps were 100 plus and very humid.You may also check our first Fl tour from early last June in Dwagenheims journal accessed from touring pages and scrolling back to that time frame to get an idea of inland conditions during early summer(it only gets worse midsummer lol).In the Touring Fl. threads on the touring forum there is also discusion of road and weather conditions.Hope this helps and if you have more/other questions just ask.Edit Let me add that I can recall at times riding along A1A during summer headed north and getting pushed along by some strong winds so the winds may tend to prevail out of the Southeast this time of year which would seem to make sense but maybe someone else could comment on this.

davepyle

Speaking as a sailor, the prevailing winds in Florida are east-southeast, but in summer tend to be fairly light. Many days the dominant wind is the afternoon sea breeze, but that also is usually an easterly wind. In general, I would say a south to north route would give the best chance of tailwinds. As RWTD says, afternoon thunderstorms are very common, but usually do not last that long, rarely more than an hour. Many times the thunderstorms are located further inland where there is more heat buildup, while the coast stays clear.

GIANTBIKES

RWTD
I would say you hit it on the head. The late after noon storms can get bad.

RWTD

GIANTBIKES Seems like more people would take advantage of the dry less hot season up through May to do some Fl. touring but maybe more people just have time available during summer.Hope you are getting some cycling in now though.It is currently 83 here lol.

GIANTBIKES

RWTD

I agree. The last few months would have been the time for people to come to Florida for a tour. We have really had some great weather the last few months.

reddog

Whatever you hear in the news or read in the papers & online just add 10 degree's to it and you'll know the real temp. I work in air conditioning here in Fort lauderdale and it can get blasted hot with humidty running generally 80 to 100 precent in the summer. Right now we're in a heat wave with temps running high and when it starts this early it generally stays high the whole summer. Winds are anywhere from E to S. I'd stick to A1A as long as possible but the road merges with US 1 at times. Up state it's not bad; From Palm Beach down it's a bear. Stay out of the middle of the state if camping as the mosquitos will eat you alive. The weather is also worse there as the storms come in from the middle of the state in summer and you'll have a better chance of catching one whereas the coast may or may not get hit. And btw, we have more lightning fatalities then anywhere in the nation; Nice place huh? Also, have you thoght of riding the west coast of Florida instead and crossing thru Gainsesville if you have the same destination.

RWTD

On our tour around southwest and central Fl. last summer we found the mosquito's much worse on the west coast particularly the mangrove areas (but Ft. Meyes also comes to mind)than the center of the state with the exception of the Everglades/Big Cyprus.Also 41 south of Tampa Bay often the only route is very congested in fact we cut inland early because of this.I agree summer may not be the best time to head inland due to heat and rain(and wind if heading east as we experienced one day) but I mentioned it as that is where the least congested roads are.