How hot will the Tampa Bay area get this week after record-breaking Sunday?
Tampa opens cooling stations amid extreme heat
The record-breaking heat gripping the Tampa Bay area didn’t let up Monday following the record-setting 100-degree temperature recorded a day earlier in Tampa. Aaron Mesmer reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - The record-breaking heat gripping the Tampa Bay area didn’t let up Monday following the record-setting 100-degree temperature recorded a day earlier in Tampa.
Sunday sets record
By the numbers:
On Sunday, the actual air temperature in Tampa reached 100 degrees for the first time since record-keeping began in 1890, with the heat index topping 110 in many parts of the region.
The previous high mark of 99 degrees was set on June 26, 2020.
The actual air temperature in Tampa reached 100 degrees for the first time on Sunday.
The "feels-like" heat index soared again on Monday, reaching well above 110 degrees across the Tampa Bay area.
What's causing the intense heat?
Dig deeper:
FOX 13 Meteorologist Dave Osterberg says a so-called "heat dome" is the culprit. More specifically, it's an area of high pressure with lots of sinking air.
"It's eventually going to break down, and we'll slowly get back to the lower 90s by the end of the week," Osterberg said.
What's next:
Osterberg says the return to more typical summer conditions will be gradual, with rain coverage slightly increasing to 40% through the rest of the work week, then going up to 50% by this weekend.
As rain chances climb, daytime temperatures should drop back to the lower 90s.
Intense heat will stay with us for the next couple of days before a gradual return to more normal summer conditions, meteorologists say.
What they're saying:
As the sun scorched Tampa on Monday, families flocked to splash pads like Water Works Park to cool off. "I will go in the water and play," one child declared, beating the heat the best way possible.
Even a family visiting from Phoenix, a city known for its own intense summers, found Tampa’s conditions tough to bear.
"We hit 100 regularly in Phoenix," said Aldric Borders, "but what we’re not used to is the humidity. So it’s like a different element to the heat."
Locals like Jimmy Wood, a lifelong Tampa resident, say experience has taught them how to protect themselves.
"At my age, and when the dermatologist is taking a lot of things off you, you wear a big hat and put sunscreen on," he said.
Doctors stress the importance of hydration and limiting outdoor exposure.
"No matter what your age is, you’re at risk for sunburn," said Dr. Amber Stephens, a family physician with Optum Health in Dunedin. "People tend to not hydrate as well. They get overheated. That can lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke."
The danger is real, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which found that heat kills more people in the U.S. each year than hurricanes, floods, and lightning.
To help vulnerable residents, the City of Tampa has opened three cooling stations. Hillsborough County emergency officials are also issuing strong warnings.
"Heat is one of those things that can really sneak up on you," said Katja Miller, the Operation Section Chief with Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center. "You may not realize how much it's affecting you until you start having health concerns."
What you can do:
Stay hydrated, stay in the shade, and stay alert. For now, the heat is still very much on in the Tampa Bay area.
The Source: Information for this story came from FOX 13 Meteorologist Dave Osterberg, Hillsborough County’s Emergency Operations Center and the City of Tampa.