The best time to visit Margate, FL, is December through February, when average highs sit in the high 70s, rainfall drops under three inches a month, and the humidity finally backs off. April runs a close second, with warm days and the clearest skies of the year. Summer is hot, wet, and cheap. September is the month most visitors should skip. Here's the year season by season, with the weather numbers, the crowd patterns, the city's events, and the practical details that trip people up.
Margate's Two Seasons and the Local Mental Map
Margate runs on a dry season and a wet season rather than four seasons. The dry stretch runs November through May, the wet one from late May into October, and the split is sharp enough that locals plan around it. The city sits in a tropical climate zone, gets about 61 inches of rain a year, and averages roughly 169 comfortable days, which works out to about 5.6 months.
Geography explains the rest. Margate is a nine square mile Broward County suburb between Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, and North Lauderdale, laid out on tree lined streets around 30 miles of canals. The City of Margate puts it 7.5 miles from the Atlantic and about 20 minutes from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, with 19 parks inside the limits.
There's no beach in Margate itself, so season affects your parks, your golf, and your drive east. Pompano Beach is about 20 minutes out on Atlantic Boulevard, and Butterfly World and Tradewinds Park sit roughly 10 minutes north in Coconut Creek. All of it is outdoor, and the weather decides how pleasant it is.
December Through February: The Driest and Coolest Stretch of the Year
December through February is Margate's best weather window, full stop. Using NOAA 30 year normals, January averages a high of 76 degrees and a low of 59 with 2.38 inches of rain, February climbs to 78 and 61 with just 1.95 inches (the driest month of the year), and December sits at 78 and 63. Mornings in the 50s are normal.
The tradeoff is everyone else. Broward County hotel rates and crowds peak from January through April with the snowbird season, and Margate has no hotels of its own, so you'll book 3 to 5 miles out in Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, Tamarac, or Pompano Beach. Our guide to hotels near Margate covers which suits which kind of trip.
Mid December is the one date worth building a trip around. The city's Winter Festival brings artificial snow, live music, Santa photos, and food and craft vendors, and the Holiday Fantasy of Lights drive through runs at Tradewinds Park with the 3D glasses and all. Both are local traditions rather than tourist events, which is why they're worth catching.
Seasonal residents handle the gear problem the practical way. Rather than hauling beach chairs, bikes, and golf clubs south every November and back north every May, plenty of snowbirds keep them in a 5×5 storage locker year round.
March Through May: Clear Skies Before the Rains Return
March through May is the shoulder season, and April is the sleeper pick of the year. March averages 81 and 64 with 3.20 inches of rain, April 84 and 68 with 3.11 inches and the clearest skies Margate gets, and May jumps to 87 and 72 with 4.89 inches as the wet season begins. Weather Spark puts the warm weather window at late October through early May.
By mid April the snowbird crowd has thinned and room rates ease before the summer bottom. Golf is the category Margate over delivers on for a city this size, with three courses inside the limits including the semi private Oriole Golf Club on Margate Boulevard, an 18 hole par 72 open to the public. Tee times are far easier to get in April than in February, and the golf courses in Margate guide covers all three.
May is the hinge month. Dew points climb above 65 degrees from May through October, which is when the air stops being merely warm and turns muggy. Calypso Cove, the city's Caribbean themed water park inside Royal Palm Park, runs on a seasonal schedule, so check the city calendar before driving over in a shoulder month.
June Through August: Heat, Afternoon Storms, and the Lowest Room Rates
Summer in Margate is hot, wet, and the cheapest time to be here. August is the hottest month at an average high of 91 and a low of 77, with 7.51 inches of rain. July runs 91 and 76, June 89 and 76. August is also the cheapest month to find a room anywhere in Broward, which is the honest argument for coming.
Summer visits work if you invert the day. Outdoor plans go in the morning: the Margate Walkway Trail along the canal is a sunrise run because it has almost no shade, and Butterfly World is best early, when the butterflies are most active and before the storms build. Firefighters Park keeps its tennis and pickleball courts lighted, which makes after sunset the only sane time to play from June to September.
Afternoons want a roof. Xtreme Action Park in Fort Lauderdale is about 25 minutes away and packs karting, bowling, a roller rink, and escape rooms into one indoor building. Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs is the only place in Broward where you'll want a jacket in August. Urban Air Adventure Park in Coral Springs is the third option, though it's closed Mondays and doesn't open until 4 p.m. on weekdays.
Summer humidity is also why climate control isn't treated as an upgrade here. Anything with paper, fabric, wood, or electronics in it goes into climate controlled storage in Margate as a matter of course.
September Through November: Hurricane Peak and the Break That Follows
September is the one month to avoid. It's Margate's wettest at 8.13 inches, and the NOAA National Hurricane Center puts the statistical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season on September 10, with the season running June 1 to November 30 and most activity between mid August and mid October.
Margate's inland position changes the shape of the risk. At 7.5 miles from the Atlantic and 13 feet above sea level, storm surge isn't the local threat it is on the barrier islands. Wind, power outages, and flooding in a city built around 30 miles of canals are. Travel insurance earns its cost on a September or October trip, and outdoor attractions can close on short notice.
Locals spend late summer clearing the lanai. Patio furniture, grills, bikes, and anything else that becomes a projectile in a high wind has to go somewhere, and a 5×10 unit is the size that swallows a typical back patio for a season.
November is the turn, and it's underrated. Averages fall back to 81 and 67, the humidity breaks, and the comfortable window reopens before the January rate hikes. The Fall Festival, the Veterans Day ceremony, and Bark in the Park all land in this stretch.
City Events Worth Timing a Visit Around
Margate's events calendar runs year round and skews toward residents rather than visitors, which is what makes it worth catching. Movies in the Park and the Sounds at Sundown concert nights with food trucks run at the Margate Sports Complex, where you bring your own lawn chair. The Springtime Egg Hunt, the Senior Games, and the International Festival fill the spring, and the Fourth of July parade and fireworks anchor the summer.
One thing to cross off: the Margate Fair still turns up in search results and on old event roundups, but its own website states there's no fair for 2026. Don't plan a trip around it.
Practical Planning: Parking, Closed Days, and What Needs a Car
Margate needs a car. Broward County Transit Route 62 serves the city and connects neighborhoods to State Road 7, but the four commercial spines (Atlantic Boulevard, Margate Boulevard, State Road 7, and Coconut Creek Parkway) are strip plazas set far apart. Each plaza is walkable inside itself. Nothing is walkable between them.
Mondays close more than you'd expect, and hours matter as much as days. Pasta And, the white tablecloth Northern Italian room on West Atlantic Boulevard, is dinner only Tuesday through Sunday; Anne Marie's Pizza Co on State Road 7 closes Mondays for deep cleaning; and the Morikami Museum in Delray Beach, a common day trip, closes Mondays too. Toasted Cafe serves 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the kitchen shuts at 2 sharp, while Delish Caribbean Restaurant runs to 4 a.m. on Saturdays.
Beach parking is the season's real bottleneck. Pompano Beach is about 9 miles straight east on Atlantic Boulevard, and the metered and garage spaces near the pier fill by mid morning on weekends from January through April. Go on a weekday or arrive before 10 a.m. Fort Lauderdale beach parking is worse and pricier. Our day trips from Margate guide sorts the coastal options by drive time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which month is the nicest in Florida?
For Margate and the rest of southeast Florida, February is the nicest month. NOAA 30 year normals put it at an average high of 78 degrees, a low of 61, and just 1.95 inches of rain, the driest month on the calendar. January is slightly cooler and wetter. April is the best of the shoulder months, with the clearest skies of the year and thinner crowds.
Are Pompano Beach and Margate, FL the same?
No. Pompano Beach and Margate are separate Broward County cities about 9 miles apart. Margate is inland, nine square miles, and has no coastline at all. Pompano Beach is on the Atlantic and has the beach, the pier, and the fishing village district. Atlantic Boulevard connects the two directly, and the drive takes roughly 20 minutes outside rush hour.
How far is it from Fort Lauderdale to Margate, Florida?
Margate sits about 14 miles northwest of downtown Fort Lauderdale, or roughly 25 to 30 minutes by car outside peak traffic. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is about 20 minutes away. There's no rail link, so plan on driving or a rideshare. Rush hour on the Sawgrass Expressway and State Road 7 can add 15 minutes in either direction.
Are there luxury hotels in Margate?
No. Margate has no full service or luxury hotels inside the city limits, just two motels and an RV resort. Every branded hotel serving the area sits 3 to 5 miles out in Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, Tamarac, Pompano Beach, or Fort Lauderdale. If you want a resort, the coastal properties in Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale are the closest real option.
What are some fun things to do in Margate, Florida?
Margate's own attractions are parks, golf, and food. Firefighters Park has lighted tennis and pickleball courts plus Safety Town for kids, Calypso Cove is the city water park, and three golf courses sit inside the limits. Butterfly World and Tradewinds Park are 10 minutes north in Coconut Creek. The things to do in Margate guide covers the full range.
Storage for a Longer Stay in Margate
Winter visits to Margate have a way of stretching into something longer, and the stuff question follows close behind. Value Store It's Margate self storage facility rents month to month with no long term contract, which fits a seasonal schedule. The smallest spaces, a 10×5 locker or a 5×15 unit, handle boxes, sports gear, and off season clothes.
From there the lineup steps up through 10×10 storage units that hold a studio or a one bedroom, then 10×15 spaces and 10×20 units for a house worth of furniture, up to a 10×30 space for a full household or a small business inventory. If you're not sure which fits, the unit size guide sorts it out room by room, and the staff on site will walk you through the doors before you commit.
