Geography and cityscape

The geography of Orlando is mostly wetlands, consisting of many lakes and swamps. The terrain is generally flat, making the land fairly low and wet.^{[citation needed]} The area is dotted with hundreds of lakes, the largest of which is Lake Apopka. Central Florida's bedrock is mostly limestone and very porous; the Orlando area is susceptible to sinkholes. Probably the most famous incident involving a sinkhole happened in 1981 in Winter Park, a city immediately north of downtown Orlando, dubbed "The Winter Park Sinkhole".

See also: List of neighborhoods in Orlando, Florida

There are 115 neighborhoods within the city limits and many unincorporated communities. Orlando's city limits resemble a checkerboard, with pockets of unincorporated Orange County surrounded by city limits. Such an arrangement can be cumbersome^{[citation needed]} as some areas are served by both Orange County and the City of Orlando. This also explains Orlando's relatively low city population when compared to its metropolitan population. The city and county are working together in an effort to "round-out" the city limits with Orlando annexing portions of land already bordering the city limits.^{[18][not in citation given]}

Skyscrapers

Metro Orlando has a total of 19 completed skyscrapers. The majority are located in Downtown Orlando and the rest are located in the tourist district southwest of downtown.^[19] Skyscrapers built in downtown Orlando have not exceeded 441 ft (134 m), since 1988 when SunTrust Center was completed.^{[citation needed]} The main reason for this is the Orlando Executive Airport, just under 2 miles from the city center, which does not allow buildings to exceed a certain height.

Downtown Orlando

Main article: List of tallest buildings in Orlando

Orlando skyline at night

• The SunTrust Center, 1988, 441 ft (134 m), is the tallest skyscraper in Central Florida.
• The Vue at Lake Eola, 2008, 426 ft (130 m) tall, but with 35 stories it has more stories than the SunTrust Center.^[20][21]
• The Orange County Courthouse, 1997, 416 ft (127 m).
• The Bank of America Center (formerly Barnett Plaza), 1988, 409 ft (125 m)
• 55 West on the Esplanade, 2009, 377 ft (115 m)
• Solaire at the Plaza, 2006, 359 ft (109 m)
• Dynetech Center, 2009, 357 ft (109 m)
• Citrus Center, 1971, 281 ft (86 m)
• Premier Trade Plaza Orlando, 2006, 256 ft (78 m)
• CNL Center City Commons, 1999, 250 ft (76 m)
• Downtown Orlando Information Center, 2008

Outside Downtown Orlando

• Orlando International Airport ATC Tower, 2002, 346 ft (105 m)
• The SeaWorld SkyTower, 400 ft (122 m), was the tallest tower in Orange County outside Orlando's city limits until surpassed by the Peabody.
• The Hyatt Regency Orlando Expansion Tower, Winter 2010, 428 ft (130 m), is the tallest tower in Orange County outside Orlando's city limits.^[22][23]
• The Orlando Eye, 400 ft (122 m), was opened in 2015.

Climate

Orlando
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.4     71 49     2.4     74 52     3.8     78 56     2.6     83 60     3.5     88 66     7.6     91 72     7.3     92 74     7.1     92 74     6.1     90 73     3.3     85 66     2.2     78 59     2.6     73 52 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches
[show]Metric conversion

Orlando has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) like much of central Florida. Orlando is located in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 9B, bordering 10a, depending upon the year due to the urban heat island effect, resulting from the immense urban growth, and gulf stream.^[24] There are two basic seasons in Orlando, a hot and rainy season, lasting from May until late September (roughly coinciding with the Atlantic hurricane season), and a warm and dry season from October through April.^{[citation needed]} The area's warm and humid climate is caused primarily by its low elevation, its position relatively close to the Tropic of Cancer, and its location in the center of a peninsula. Many characteristics of its climate are a result of its proximity to the Gulf Stream, which flows around the peninsula of Florida, and the urban heat island effects, which have become more prominent in the past couple decades, allowing urban Orlando to maintain USDA 10a climactic similarities, reflected in the frequent tropical foliage found in the region.
During the height of Orlando's humid summer season, high temperatures are typically in the lower to mid 90s °F (32–36 °C), while low temperatures rarely fall below the mid 70s °F (23-26 °C). The average window for such temperatures is April 19 – October 11.^[25] The area's humidity acts as a buffer, usually preventing actual temperatures from exceeding 100 °F (38 °C), but also pushing the heat index to over 110 °F (43 °C). The city's highest recorded temperature is 103 °F (39 °C), set on September 8, 1921. During these months, strong afternoon thunderstorms occur almost daily. These storms are caused by air masses from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean colliding over Central Florida. They are highlighted by spectacular lightning and can also bring heavy rain (sometimes several inches per hour) and powerful winds as well as rare damaging hail.^{[citation needed]}
During the cooler season, humidity is much lower and temperatures are more moderate, and can fluctuate more readily. The monthly daily average temperature in January is 60.2 °F (15.7 °C). Temperatures dip below the freezing mark on an average of only 2.4 nights per annum,^[25] and the lowest recorded temperature is 18 °F (−8 °C), set on December 28, 1894. Because the winter season is dry and freezing temperatures usually occur only after cold fronts (and their accompanying precipitation) have passed, snow is exceptionally rare. The only accumulation ever to occur in the city proper since recordkeeping began was in 1948, although there was some accumulation in surrounding areas in a snow event in January 1977. Flurries have also been observed in 1989 and 2006^[26] and 2010.^[27]
The average annual rainfall in Orlando is 50.6 inches (1,290 mm), a majority of which occurs in the period from June to September. The months of October through May are Orlando's dry season. During this period (especially in its later months), there is often a wildfire hazard. During some years, fires have been severe. In 1998, a strong El Niño caused an unusually wet January and February, followed by drought throughout the spring and early summer, causing a record wildfire season that created numerous air quality alerts in Orlando and severely impacted normal daily life, including the postponement of that year's Pepsi 400 NASCAR race in nearby Daytona Beach.^[28]
Orlando is a major population center and has a considerable hurricane risk, although it is not as high as in South Florida's urban corridor or other coastal regions. Since the city is located 42 miles (68 km) inland from the Atlantic and 77 miles (124 km) inland from the Gulf of Mexico,^[a] hurricanes usually weaken before arriving. Storm surges are not a concern since the region is 100 feet (30 m) above sea level. Despite its location, the city does see strong hurricanes. During the notorious 2004 hurricane season, Orlando was hit by three hurricanes that caused significant damage, with Hurricane Charley the worst of these. The city also experienced widespread damage during Hurricane Donna in 1960.^{[citation needed]}
Tornadoes are not usually connected with the strong thunderstorms of the summer. They are more common during the infrequent cold fronts of winter, as well as in passing hurricanes. The two worst major outbreaks in the area's history, a 1998 outbreak that killed 42 people and a 2007 outbreak that killed 21, both happened in February.