What are sea breeze storms?

The sea breeze is one of the primary drivers of thunderstorms for the Florida Peninsula. Here's how it works.

Florida is famous for its summer thunderstorms that develop almost every day during the warmer months. Our WeatherRadar can help you keep an eye on sea breeze storms and help you dodge the heavy rain, gusty winds and lightning that they produce.

But why do we see these storms develop? The sea breeze is a daily circulation resulting from the uneven heating of inland areas and the ocean. Mornings typically start with similar temperatures across the land and ocean.

As the day continues, the land heats up faster than the water, creating a low-pressure area over land and a high-pressure area over the sea. This pressure difference causes cooler air from the sea to move inland, creating the sea breeze. The strength of the sea breeze is directly related to the temperature difference between the land and the ocean.

If the conditions are right, the rising warm air over land can lead to thunderstorm development, especially where the sea breeze front converges with other airflow. At night, the land cools faster than the sea, reversing the pressure difference and creating a land breeze, which can sometimes lead to storms developing over the water.