Photo: Excel23 · CC BY-SA 4.0Palm Bay sits near the top of U.S. towns for mild winters
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 90°. June is the wettest month, February the driest. Its yearly precipitation tops that of 88% of U.S. towns. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from November to April, with highs of 72–82°.
A year in Palm Bay at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Palm Bay’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Palm Bay’s place in Florida beside it.
What a year in Palm Bay feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze most winters
Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Palm Bay, FL, 3.0 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Palm Bay’s center in zone 10a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 31°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 52 inches of rain a year
June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain falls on about 126 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Melbourne Wfo, FL, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Palm Bay
13% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. No month averages under 55°.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Palm Bay, FL.
Living with Palm Bay’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 10a. Frost comes about 7 winters in 10, so tender plants can often stay out through winter.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: January, February, March, April, November and December. 53 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Palm Bay from natural hazards, hurricanes are the largest share (72%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Palm Bay and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Palm Bay in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Palm Bay’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Bay, FL | 51° | 90° | 52" | 0.0" |
| Galveston, TX | 48° | 89° | 52" | 0.1" |
| St. Marys, GA | 43° | 91° | 51" | 0.0" |
| Morgan City, LA | 44° | 91° | 60" | 0.0" |
| Hilton Head Island, SC | 41° | 90° | 49" | 0.0" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Palm Bay averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.0°).
A bigger shift than in 54% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods. In a city of 148,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Palm Bay compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Palm Bay’s place among Florida’s.
Palm Bay weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Palm Bay’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Melbourne Wfo, FL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 72° | 51° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| February | 75° | 54° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 56° – 72° |
| March | 78° | 57° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 61° – 73° |
| April | 82° | 62° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| May | 86° | 67° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 73° – 79° |
| June | 89° | 72° | 7.5" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 79° – 84° |
| July | 90° | 73° | 6.5" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 80° – 84° |
| August | 90° | 74° | 6.9" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 80° – 83° |
| September | 88° | 73° | 7.2" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 79° – 82° |
| October | 84° | 68° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 73° – 80° |
| November | 78° | 61° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| December | 74° | 55° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 73° |
| Year | 82° | 64° | 51.9" | 0.0" | 126 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 52° to 73°. July is the most reliable, staying within 3°.
Where Palm Bay’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Palm Bay’s center.
- Snow: Melbourne Wfo, FL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Palm Bay, FL, 3.0 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Palm Bay’s climate
What is the weather like in Palm Bay?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 51°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 97% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Palm Bay in winter?
January nights average 51°. About 1 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 55°.
How much snow does Palm Bay get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Melbourne Wfo, FL, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Palm Bay?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 73°. About 102 days a year reach 90° (Palm Bay, FL).
When is the first and last frost in Palm Bay?
There is no reliable frost date: a 32° night comes in about 67% of winters at Palm Bay, FL, so most years bring a freeze but some pass without one.
What growing zone is Palm Bay in?
Zone 10a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 31°.
What is the best time of year to visit Palm Bay?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, April, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Palm Bay getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Palm Bay.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.