Short answer: Melbourne's rainy season runs from a median May 28 to Oct. 17 and brings about 64 percent of the year's rain, according to the National Weather Service office on Croton Road. Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, and the City of Melbourne says everyone east of the Indian River Lagoon is in the mandatory evacuation zone. The heaviest storm rain on record was Tropical Storm Fay in 2008, with 27.65 inches northwest of Melbourne.
Last verified: October 15, 2026, against the sources listed at the end of this page.
When is the rainy season in Melbourne?
Melbourne's wet season starts on a median date of May 28 and gives way to the dry season around Oct. 17, according to National Weather Service records for Melbourne going back to 1950 (NWS Melbourne, wet and dry season onset).
| Season change | Melbourne median date | Vero Beach, for comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Start of the wet season | May 28 | May 26 |
| Start of the dry season | Oct. 17 | Oct. 19 |
| First temperature below 60 degrees | October 22 | October 22 |
| First temperature below 50 degrees | November 10 | November 13 |
The summer half carries most of the water. A north Melbourne rain gauge studied over 22 years showed a 138 day wet season, about four and a half months, that delivered 64 percent of the yearly rain in 38 percent of the year (NWS Melbourne wet season statistics). Tropical systems supplied 15 percent of that wet season rain and about 5 inches a year on average, with many years getting little or none.
Measurable rain falls in Melbourne on 100 to 105 days in an average year, but the heavy days matter more: from 1992 to 2013 the city averaged 10 days a year with 1 to 2 inches and 4 days with more than 2 inches (NWS Melbourne). The Melbourne seasonal patterns guide covers the wet season, the dry season and the hurricane months.
Since the median dry season date is Oct. 17 and the first sub 60 degree reading comes on a median October 22, mid October is the hinge of the Melbourne year: a mid October week in Melbourne sits just before the typical turn. The first reading below 50 degrees comes later, on a median November 10, so the cool mornings that mark a Melbourne winter usually arrive in November (NWS Melbourne).
What does NWS Melbourne expect for the 2026 to 2027 dry season?
NWS Melbourne's outlook issued September 30, 2026 flags an increased potential for well above normal rainfall and severe weather in the November 2026 to April 2027 dry season (NWS Melbourne Dry Season Forecast).
The Melbourne forecast office has studied the El Nino Southern Oscillation and its pull on the November to April dry season since early 1997, and it splits the outlook into November to January and February to April periods, each rated in five categories from well below to well above normal (NWS Melbourne). The next Melbourne issuance is due in January 2027.
That would run against the usual Melbourne pattern, in which the wet season delivers about 64 percent of the yearly rain (NWS Melbourne wet season statistics). The Melbourne seasonal patterns guide and the January 2027 update are worth reading together.
Which storms have hit Melbourne hardest?
Three storms stand out in the official records for Melbourne: Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in September 2004 and Tropical Storm Fay in August 2008, by far the wettest tropical cyclone for east central Florida (NWS Melbourne, Tropical Storm Fay).
Frances came ashore on September 5, 2004 as a category 2 at Hutchinson Island, and Jeanne crossed the coast on September 26, 2004 as a category 3 at virtually the same spot (NOAA). Florida Tech's wind and hurricane research lab in Melbourne reports that Jeanne likely pushed storm surge flooding up to 6 feet above normal tides from the vicinity of Melbourne south to Ft. Pierce (Florida Tech WHIRL, Hurricane Jeanne).
Fay did its damage with rain. NWS Melbourne measured a maximum of 27.65 inches 8 miles northwest of Melbourne, by far the wettest tropical cyclone on record for east central Florida, and storm totals passed 20 inches in parts of Melbourne, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach (NWS Melbourne, Tropical Storm Fay). The Melbourne Tropical Storm Fay guide covers the flooding day by day, and the historical storm impacts guide sets the 2004 hurricanes beside Matthew in 2016 and later storms.
One detail on the NWS Fay page needs care: its summary calls Fay the 4th wettest tropical cyclone to affect Florida, while the preliminary storm report further down the same Melbourne page says third wettest (NWS Melbourne). Both agree it was the wettest for east central Florida.
Who has to evacuate Melbourne before a hurricane?
Melbourne residents east of the Indian River Lagoon live on the barrier island and fall inside the mandatory evacuation zone (City of Melbourne Hurricane Preparation).
The city says people in low-lying areas or mobile or manufactured homes also have a good chance of needing to heed a mandatory evacuation notice. The City of Melbourne sets hurricane season at June 1 through November 30. Its Hurricane Preparation page lists Satellite Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach as barrier island communities, and notes that part of the City of Melbourne sits on the barrier island too. The page names Patrick Air Force Base and unincorporated Brevard County as barrier island areas too (Hurricane Preparation).
Melbourne causeways are not closed before a storm, but the city says driving them is unsafe once tropical storm force winds arrive, typically 45 mph sustained, so the practical deadline to leave the island is the arrival of those winds, not a closure order. The City of Melbourne and Brevard County typically hand out sandbags when a hurricane is forecast, and signing up for AlertBrevard with a home address brings alerts about City of Melbourne water service and location based county warnings (Hurricane Preparation). The Melbourne hurricane season guide covers NWS Melbourne forecasts, evacuation zones and the 2004 season. Last verified: October 14, 2026, on the City of Melbourne Hurricane Preparation page.
Who forecasts the weather for Melbourne?
The National Weather Service forecast office at 421 Croton Road in Melbourne issues the forecasts and warnings for Brevard County and the rest of east central Florida, and answers at 321-255-0212 (NWS Melbourne Office History).
Melbourne has an unusual place in that system. In July 1989 Melbourne became the first NWS field office completed under the National Modernization and Associated Restructuring, and forecast and warning operations for Brevard, Indian River, Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties began that October (NWS Melbourne Office History). In October 1991 the office put the second WSR-88D radar in the nation into use, the first in a subtropical maritime climate, a radar that also supports the space program at Cape Canaveral.
The same Melbourne office writes the wet season studies, the dry season outlook and the Fay storm survey used on this page.
Which Melbourne weather guide answers which question?
Four Melbourne weather guides sit under this hub, each built on NWS Melbourne and City of Melbourne sources (City of Melbourne; NWS Melbourne).
| Question | Key fact | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| When do summer rains start and stop in Melbourne? | Median May 28 to Oct. 17 | Seasonal patterns |
| When is hurricane season and who evacuates? | June 1 to November 30; barrier island is mandatory | Hurricane season guide |
| Which storms hit Melbourne hardest? | Frances and Jeanne, September 2004 | Historical storm impacts |
| How much rain did Fay drop near Melbourne? | 27.65 inches, 8 miles northwest of Melbourne | Tropical Storm Fay (2008) |
Frequently asked questions
When does hurricane season start in Melbourne?
The City of Melbourne gives hurricane season as June 1 through November 30. The city places everyone east of the Indian River Lagoon in the mandatory evacuation zone, and says people in low-lying areas or mobile or manufactured homes have a good chance of needing to heed a mandatory evacuation notice.
What is the rainiest time of year in Melbourne?
The Melbourne wet season, with a median start of May 28 and end of Oct. 17, brings about 64 percent of the yearly rain in roughly 138 days, according to a 22 year NWS Melbourne study of a north Melbourne gauge.
When does it start to cool off in Melbourne?
NWS Melbourne puts the median date of the first temperature below 60 degrees at October 22 and the first below 50 degrees at November 10, based on Melbourne records going back to 1950.
Are the Melbourne causeways closed before a hurricane?
No. The City of Melbourne says causeways are not closed before a storm arrives, but driving them becomes unsafe in tropical storm force winds, typically 45 mph sustained, so barrier island residents should leave before those winds reach the Indian River Lagoon.
Where is the National Weather Service office in Melbourne?
The NWS Melbourne forecast office is at 421 Croton Road, Melbourne, FL 32935, phone 321-255-0212. It became the first NWS field office completed under the national modernization in July 1989 and covers Brevard and the rest of east central Florida.
Sources
- NWS Melbourne, Some Wet Season Statistics from North Melbourne, Florida https://www.weather.gov/mlb/wet_stats Used for: wet season share of rain, 138 day length, tropical share, measurable rain days, heavy rain days
- NWS Melbourne, The Onset of the Wet and Dry Seasons in East Central Florida https://www.weather.gov/mlb/wetdry Used for: Melbourne median wet season start May 28, dry season Oct. 17, first below 60 October 22, first below 50 November 10, record since 1950
- NWS Melbourne, Dry Season Forecast https://www.weather.gov/mlb/mlbnino Used for: 2026-2027 outlook issued September 30, 2026, increased potential for well above normal rainfall and severe weather, next issuance January 2027
- NWS Melbourne, Tropical Storm Fay storm survey https://www.weather.gov/mlb/fay Used for: 27.65 inch maximum 8 miles NW of Melbourne, wettest for east central Florida, third and 4th wettest wording
- NWS Melbourne, Office History https://www.weather.gov/mlb/office_history Used for: first office completed under modernization July 1989, counties served, WSR-88D October 1991, 421 Croton Road address and phone
- City of Melbourne, Hurricane Preparation https://www.melbourneflorida.org/Services/Hurricane-Preparation Used for: season June 1 to November 30, barrier island mandatory evacuation, causeways and 45 mph winds, sandbags, AlertBrevard, mobile homes
- Florida Tech WHIRL, Hurricane Jeanne (2004) https://research.fit.edu/whirl/post-storm-damage-assessment/hurricane-jeanne-2004/ Used for: storm surge up to 6 feet from Melbourne south to Ft. Pierce, category three landfall
- NOAA, 4 hurricanes in 6 weeks: it happened to one state in 2004 https://www.noaa.gov/stories/4-hurricanes-in-6-weeks-it-happened-to-one-state-in-2004 Used for: Frances landfall September 5, 2004 at Hutchinson Island, Jeanne September 26, 2004 at the same spot
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