Downwntown Business District in Tampa, Florida, United States. Photo: Ruth Peterkin/Shutterstock.com
For the first time in recorded weather history, Tampa saw temperatures reach triple digits on Sunday.
Around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, the Tampa Bay office of the National Weather Service posted on X that the air temperature at Tampa International Airport was 100 degrees.
The previous record of 99 degrees, set on June 26, 2020, was surpassed by Sunday’s heat.
The weather service said the heat dome and the weather gathering site’s position across the southeast U.S. created oppressive heat.
The airport is situated on Tampa Bay’s shore. According to the report, “the sea breeze can usually move in and cool things down before temperatures can quite get that hot.” “That was prevented by a combination of several hot, dry days and a strong (northeast) wind.”
As temperatures rose into the 90s on Sunday, the weather service issued a heat advisory at around noon. After taking humidity into consideration, the feels-like temperature rose to 114 degrees by 2:00 p.m.
The average actual temperature, which does not account for humidity, rarely rises over 95 degrees in west-central Florida, but the heat index frequently reaches the 100s. According to climate scientists, human-caused climate change is making heat waves longer and more frequent.
Based on official weather data, charity Climate Central found that climate change increased the likelihood of the excessive heat that swept through Florida this week by five times.
“Many records were broken yesterday,” according to a weather service region forecast discussion on Monday.
The high temperature in St. Petersburg was 96 degrees, setting a daily record. Additionally, the temperature in Ruskin reached a daily record of 98 degrees.
According to Stephen Shiveley, a meteorologist from Tampa Bay’s National Weather Service, there were three primary causes for Tampa’s temperature to reach 100 degrees.
At the airport, Sunday started quite warm, at about 83 degrees.
Furthermore, it was a dry day. Temperatures rose due to a mix of Saharan dust that was still present and a lack of clouds.
Finally, there was no sea breeze, which normally cools the area. The sea breeze and any attempt to reduce the increasing temperature were thwarted by a change in wind direction.
Shiveley declared on Monday morning that “it’s definitely a possibility again, today.”
On Monday, however, a bit more moisture might result in some cloud cover, which could reduce the heat.
Much of central Florida, including Tampa Bay, is under a heat advisory that will start at noon on Monday and last until seven o’clock. Up to 112 degrees might be the heat index.
“Being inside is the only way to truly feel relief from a humid heat like this,” Shiveley stated.
Staying inside with air conditioning was the weather service’s recommendation. The weather agency advised taking regular pauses and drinking lots of water if one must remain outside.
According to Shiveley, the extreme heat is expected to last till Tuesday. Tampa’s high temperatures are predicted to drop slightly from the upper 90s to the mid-90s by Wednesday.
According to statistics dating back to the 1890s, we recently had the highest temperature ever recorded in Tampa, Shiveley stated. “This heat is not typical for us.”
At the location of the former U.S. meteorological Bureau office in downtown Tampa, daily meteorological observations were gathered. The office was relocated to Drew Field, which subsequently became Tampa International Airport, in June 1946. Since then, records have been kept there.
The weather service chose to combine data from the two locations to present a more comprehensive view of the city’s weather from the late 1800s because the airport is just roughly six miles from the closed downtown office.
“No observation site or record is flawless. The meteorological service noted on Sunday that “great care is taken to ensure that the instruments remain well-calibrated and data quality is sound, and the site does continue to be representative of the greater area.”
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Born and raised in South Florida, Krystal is a recent graduate from the University of Miami with professional writing experience at the collegiate and national news outlet levels. She’s a foodie who loves all things travel, the beach, & visiting new places throughout Florida.