WeatherJourney.com

Tampa weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Curling around its bay on the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa runs a dramatic summer storm season: the Lightning Capital of North America, where sea breezes from two coastlines collide almost every afternoon from June through September. Tampa weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

−1.1°Fhigh near average

80° / 61°Today
82° / 66°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+1.7°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–49142days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 98 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 98 in the 1940s+1.7°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 2.2 incheshigh 69°low 52°February, rain 2.3 incheshigh 71°low 54°March, rain 2.8 incheshigh 76°low 58°April, rain 2.1 incheshigh 81°low 63°May, rain 2.6 incheshigh 86°low 69°June, rain 6.0 incheshigh 88°low 74°July, rain 6.9 incheshigh 88°low 76°August, rain 6.8 incheshigh 88°low 76°September, rain 5.5 incheshigh 87°low 74°October, rain 2.2 incheshigh 83°low 67°November, rain 1.5 incheshigh 77°low 60°December, rain 1.9 incheshigh 72°low 55°wettest month July, 6.9 inches · 42.8 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

67.8°

67°feels like
74%humidity
59°dew point
9 mphfrom NE
UV index0.0
sunrise07:32sunset18:56day length11h 24m
MonClear80°61°
TodayClear80°60°
WedClear82°56°
ThuClear82°65°
FriClear82°62°
SatClear84°65°
SunClear84°69°

On this date: October 20

Today (forecast)
80° / 61°
Average for October 20
82° / 66°

High near average · −1.1°F

  • Highest since 1940: 90.7° · 2005
  • Lowest since 1940: 49.3° · 2022
  • One year ago: 86° / 68°

Every October 20 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 20 on record (n = 86). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Tampa is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 27.95°N, 82.46°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
27.95°N, 82.46°W
Time zone
America/New York
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

21 of the last 30 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +1.1°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Tampa curves around the head of Tampa Bay, a large natural inlet from the Gulf of Mexico, with a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) that takes on a distinctly tropical feel in summer. Sea breezes from the Gulf and the Atlantic interact almost every afternoon, generating an almost clockwork cycle of thunderstorms between June and September and earning the region its long-standing designation as the Lightning Capital of North America. Winters are dry, mild and generally sunny.

Tampa Bay's long-term hurricane vulnerability is among the highest of any major American city, a consequence of the shallow bay, rising seas and decades of coastal development, yet the area had not experienced a direct major-hurricane landfall since a Category 3 storm struck nearby Tarpon Springs in 1921. Major systems including Donna (1960), Charley (2004), Irma (2017) and Ian (2022) each veered away at the last moment, but every near-miss reinforces how much is at stake if a powerful storm follows a direct track into the bay.

The year peaks in August, at around 88.2°F by mid-afternoon, with nights around 76.1°F. Around 195 nights a year stay above 68°F. At the other extreme, January brings afternoon highs of about 69.2°F and typical overnight lows of 52.1°F. Freezing temperatures almost never occur.

In total, Tampa averages about 42.8 inches of precipitation a year; July is usually the wettest month (6.9 inches) and November the driest (1.5 inches).

Comparing the record's first decade with its most recent one, Tampa now averages 1.7°F warmer than it did in the 1940s. The count of days past 86°F has risen from roughly 100 a year to 140 between the record's first and last decades.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.comweather.gov

Climate graph (climograph)

August is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 22°F. Wettest month: July (~6.9 in). Whole year averages ~42.8 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 117 rainy days a year: most in July (~22), fewest in November (~4).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Tampa month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January69.2°52.1°2.2 in510.4 h83.9° (2002)22.5° (1985)
February71.3°54.1°2.3 in511.0 h87.3° (2018)24.6° (1996)
March75.6°58.3°2.8 in611.8 h92.1° (1945)31.0° (1980)
April80.7°63.4°2.1 in512.7 h93.1° (2017)40.4° (1987)
May85.6°69.3°2.6 in713.4 h102.0° (1945)52.9° (1971)
June87.5°74.5°6.0 in1713.8 h100.4° (1945)55.2° (1984)
July87.9°76.1°6.9 in2213.6 h96.2° (1964)66.3° (1947)
August88.2°76.1°6.8 in2213.0 h95.6° (2021)68.0° (1957)
September87.1°74.3°5.5 in1512.2 h95.7° (2005)59.0° (1981)
October82.7°67.4°2.2 in611.3 h92.8° (2020)41.6° (2008)
November76.5°59.6°1.5 in410.6 h89.2° (2015)27.8° (1970)
December71.6°54.6°1.9 in410.2 h85.8° (1978)19.3° (1962)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +1.7°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.26°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Sep–Nov is warming fastest: +0.28°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 98.4 early in the record → 141.6 recently. Frost days: 0 → 0.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 1945, coldest in 1962: 102.0°F / 19.3°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~42.8 in/year on average. Last decade: +21% vs that average. Long-term trend: +1.12 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Tampa

Which is the warmest month in Tampa?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Tampa is August (mean daily temperature of about 81.2°F) and the coolest is January (about 59.5°F).
How does today's temperature in Tampa compare to the historical average?
On October 20, 2026, Tampa is forecast to reach a high of 80.4°F and a low of 61.0°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 81.5°F and a low of 65.5°F, so today's high is 1.1°F cooler than that average.
How much has Tampa warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Tampa is about 1.7°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Tampa?
Tampa receives about 42.8 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with July typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Tampa?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Tampa is about 71.7°F. The warmest month is August and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Tampa by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Tampa (°F, full record since 1940): January 69°/52°, February 71°/54°, March 76°/58°, April 81°/63°, May 86°/69°, June 88°/74°, July 88°/76°, August 88°/76°, September 87°/74°, October 83°/67°, November 77°/60°, December 72°/55°.
What is the weather like in Tampa in summer?
June to August is summer in Tampa, and it is wet and hot. Daytime highs sit at 88°F and nights at 74–76°F; August is the warmest month. Rain falls on about 20 days a month, adding up to around 6.6 inches. It is the wettest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Tampa in winter?
Winter in Tampa (December to February) is mild. Afternoons run 69–72°F and nights 52–55°F; January is the coldest month. Rain is steady at around 2.1 inches a month, spread over roughly 5 days.
What is the weather like in Tampa in spring?
Spring in Tampa (March to May) is warm. March starts at 76°F by day and 58°F at night; by May it is 86°F and 69°F. Rain falls on about 6 days a month, adding up to around 2.5 inches.
What is the weather like in Tampa in autumn?
In autumn, September through November, Tampa is warm. It cools from 87°F by day and 74°F at night in September to 77°F and 60°F in November. Rain falls off from 5.5 inches on 15 days in September to 1.5 inches on 4 days in November.
How many days a year does it rain in Tampa?
On long-term average, Tampa has about 117 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 42.8 inches.

Weather in nearby cities