Spring in Key West starts to get pretty warm and wetter (more rain), although the real rainy season (mostly afternoon thunderstorms) starts in late May.
The average high air temperature is between 82 and 88 degrees F in April-June, with the average low ranging from 72 to 79 degrees F. Water temperatures tend to range from 79 to 86.
You’ll need to keep an eye out for the college-aged spring breakers who have made Key West the new “it” spring break location. If you want to mingle with the partiers, then Smathers Beach is the place to be (or avoid, if you’d rather not join in their raucous fun).
In fact, you should be truly warned: the Coedmagazine.com in March 2013, named Key West as the one of the top “trashiest” of Spring Break destinations.
The water’s perfect for swimming this time of year – not too warm and its coolest temperature doesn’t become too cool after sunset. You can enjoy diving, sailing, windsurfing, wave running, kayaking and – here’s an original idea – swim!
Key West’s public beaches are free: Enjoy Indigenous Park, Simonton Beach and Higgs Beach (Higgs has umbrellas, jet-skis, kayaks, and beach chairs you can rent.) Be advised, the public beaches close at 11 p.m. and they are patrolled.
Visit Duval Street (you’ll have to wend your way through the Spring Breakers as it’s very popular with them). It’s the only street on the planet that spans from an ocean to a gulf (Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico). It’s about 1.25 miles long and it offers visitors shops, art galleries, boutiques, restaurants and plenty of bars! Many bars have live music and some (Hog’s Breath, Rumrunner’s, Sloppy Joes, Fat Tuesday’s) don’t require a cover charge.
