Wondering about differences in Temp. along the Gulf?
 

In the dead of winter - Jan/Feb/Mar..what is it much warmer in say Naples than in Clearwater? What would the temperature differences be? Does it get significantly warmer the further south you go and how much is "significant"? Thanks.

weather.com or weatherbase.com

The water temperature is usually warmest in the winter near the rivers.

If you mean air temperatures, yes, Naples is milder than The Tampa Bay area, on average. Water temperatures on the Gulf Coast around Naples are mid-hi 60s. Slightly warmer air on the SE coast from Palm Beach down to Miami and the Keys. Warmest water temps Palm Beach to Miami, usually low 70s beacuse that is where the warm Gulf Stream comes closest.

Both the average temperatures and the average highs in Naples for December through February are about 5 to 6 degrees warmer than in St. Petersburg.
By March is starts evening out, by April or May they are pretty much identical.

When I first moved to Florida I had a big book of tropical plants of Florida. I was amazed how many plants said "south of Sarasota only" as that is where you need to go to prevent the strong liklihood of winter frosts.