Heat advisory issued for Tampa Bay area

TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - Even for Florida, it’s hot. It’s so hot, in fact, that the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the Tampa Bay area. 

“These aren’t too common for us, given our high criteria locally,” FOX 13 meteorologist Tyler Eliasen noted. “I wouldn’t recommend spending long periods of time outside if you can avoid it.”

Despite our location in the deep south, it’s rare for temperatures in Florida to climb beyond the low 90s in the summer because of our typical afternoon rain pattern that normally provides relief. But with a high pressure system in the Atlantic blocking most of those cooling storms, Wednesday will be even hotter than Tuesday. 

The high today in Tampa should reach at least 96 – in the shade. Heat index values, meaning the temperature it feels like outside, will be 104 in Tampa and as high as 110 in the southern Bay Area.
That prompted the NWS to issue a heat advisory that will be in effect from noon to 6 p.m.

Tampa’s record high for June 26 is 98 degrees, last reached in 1952.

Tyler Eliasen says we’ll still have another day or two of high temperatures and low rain chances, but a more normal pattern will return for the weekend.

“By Friday, Saturday, pretty decent coverage of rain,” he added. “It’ll be nice to have those storms. It’ll break the heat.”