The best time to ride a motorcycle in Florida

Forget spring, summer, fall and winter. Most of Florida runs on two seasons. The wet season starts in late May or early June and runs into October, with heat, high humidity and thunderstorms that build almost every afternoon. The dry season runs from about November to April, with lower humidity, clear mornings and far fewer storms. That's the riding season.

The state is also long. Pensacola and Key West are a full day's ride apart, and they have different winters. Tallahassee and the Panhandle get frost and the occasional hard freeze. Key West has never recorded a freeze. So the right month depends on where you ride, which is why the table below splits Florida into three regions.

If you're planning around a road, the best motorcycle roads in Florida lists the best season for each one. For the big picture on regions, laws and rallies, see the Florida motorcycle rides hub.

Winter is when South Florida rides its best. The Keys, the Tamiami Trail and the Everglades roads are dry, mild and comfortable, and wildlife gathers near water, which makes the Everglades roads more interesting. The tradeoff is traffic. Snowbirds and visitors fill US 1 through the Keys, so ride on weekdays and leave early.

Central Florida is mild most winter days. Daytona Beach fills up in February around the Daytona 500, so expect crowds and higher room prices that month. North Florida and the Panhandle are a different story. Cold fronts swing through every week or two, and a morning in the 30s isn't unusual. Wait for the sun, layer up, and watch for frost on bridges and shaded pavement.

March is the busiest riding month in Florida. Daytona Bike Week brings huge crowds to Daytona Beach, and spring break fills the beach towns from Daytona to Panama City Beach to the Keys. Late April brings Thunder Beach to Panama City Beach. The full calendar is on our page about Florida motorcycle events.

April is excellent across the north and the Panhandle, with comfortable days and azaleas in bloom. By May, heat and humidity are building, the first wet season storms show up in the south late in the month, and the lovebugs arrive. They swarm along highways twice a year, around May and again around September. Clean your visor and paint soon after, since their remains can damage paint.

Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and the busiest stretch is usually mid-August to mid-October. Most weeks nothing happens, but a storm in the forecast can change a trip in days. For any ride to the Keys or the coast in that window, keep a backup date and watch the National Hurricane Center.

After a storm, roads can stay dangerous for days or weeks: sand and debris on the pavement, downed lines, flooded low roads and closed bridges. Gas can be hard to find. Coastal roads like A1A and US 98 have been closed for long stretches after big hurricanes. Don't ride into an evacuation zone, and check FL511 before you go.

October is a transition. The heat eases, the storms thin out, and the humidity starts to drop, first in the Panhandle and later in the south. Biketoberfest fills Daytona Beach in October, and Thunder Beach returns to Panama City Beach in the fall. Hurricane season isn't over, so keep an eye on the tropics.

November is one of the best months in the whole state. The air is drier, the mornings are cool, and the north and Panhandle ride as well as they ever do. The canopy roads around Tallahassee and the Forgotten Coast are at their most comfortable.