Jackson County Climate

Jackson County is Florida’s third county,as it was established Aug. 12, 1822, from a portion of Escambia County. Named in honor of Andrew Jackson, who was East and West Florida Territorial Governor, the county originally encompassed all of Florida between the Choctawhatchee and Suwannee rivers. Today, that landmass is divided between 17 North Florida counties, but Jackson County still remains an established, historic, beautiful and ecologically diverse institution on the Florida landscape.

Today, Jackson County contains 938 square miles and is the only county to border two states (Alabama and Georgia). Jackson County contains 11 municipalities and close to 50,000 residents.

Three scenic waterways dot the landscape—the Chattahoochee, the Flint and the Apalachicola rivers. Confluent area water bodies include Lake Seminole, Compass Lake, Merritt’s Mill Pond and Ocheessee Pond.

The area is split into the Northern Highlands and the Marianna Lowlands, with elevations varing ranging from 50 to more than 300 feet. The Lowlands, famed for its springs and caverns, has elevations that vary between close to sea level and 245 feet.

The county’s soil composition ranges from sandy to clay base, with the most typical being sandy loam. Jackson County has a vast deposit of nearly pure limestone.

The other areas of the county offer sinkholes, forests, wetlands and springs. Many of these unique habitat are open to the public for wildlife viewing, swimming, hiking and othe recreational activities.

The county’s climate ismostly subtropical in nature. Average annual rainfall is between 48 and 64 inches, with peak rain season in the early spring and summer. The average temperature is 68 degrees F, with temperatures averaging 81 in August and 53 in January.