
Palatka has a humid subtropical climate, with mild weather during winters and hot weather during summers. High temperatures average 64 to 91 °F (18-33 °C) throughout the year. High heat indices are not uncommon for the summer months in the Palatka area. High temperatures can reach mid to high 90s with heat index ranges of 105-115 °F. The highest recorded temperature in Palatka was 105°F in 1950. It is common for daily thunderstorms to erupt during a standard summer afternoon. These are caused by the heating of the land and water, combined with extremely high humidity.
During winter, the area can experience hard freezes during the night. Such cold weather is usually short lived, as the city averages only 15 nights below freezing. The coldest temperature recorded in Palatka was 11 °F on January 21, 1985, a day that still holds the record cold for many locations in the eastern half of the US. Even rarer in Palatka than freezing temperatures is snow. When snow does fall, it usually melts before touching the ground, or upon making contact with the ground.
Palatka has suffered less damage from hurricanes than most other east coast cities. Palatka has experienced hurricane or near-hurricane conditions more than a dozen times due to storms passing through the state from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, or passing to the north or south in the Atlantic and brushing the area. Rainfall averages around 50 inches a year, with the wettest months being June through September.
Palatka Municipal Airport [1] (FAA LID: 28J), also known as Lt. Kay Larkin Field, is a public-use airport located 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of the Palatka central business district. The airport is publicly owned.
Palatka Railroad Station, 220 North 11th Street. AMTRAK[2] Silver Service and Palmetto routes.