The daily storms happen because of a term called “sea breezes”. This is the area over Florida where the “sea breezes from both coasts collide in the middle of the state (Orlando!), creating especially severe storms down the center of the state.

The predictable afternoon rain in Florida is caused by a process called convective rainfall triggered by sea breezes. Because Florida is a peninsula surrounded by warm water, the sun heats the land much faster than the ocean during the day. As the hot air over the land rises, it creates a vacuum that pulls in cool, moist air from both the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. These two "sea breezes" collide in the middle of the state, forcing the moisture-laden air upward into the atmosphere. As the air rises and cools, the water vapor condenses into massive cumulonimbus clouds, resulting in intense but brief thunderstorms, usually between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM. This cycle is so consistent during the summer that it is often referred to as "4 PM rain." Once the sun begins to set and the land cools down, the "engine" driving the convection turns off, and the storms typically dissipate, leaving behind a humid but clear evening.