Tampa’s Heat Wave: Feels Like 118 Degrees

Tampa’s Heat Index Hits 118 Degrees Amid Record-Breaking Conditions. On Wednesday afternoon, Tampa’s heat index surged to a staggering 118 degrees Fahrenheit at Tampa International Airport, a level tied for the third highest since 1940. This intense heat was driven by the lingering tropical airmass from Hurricane Debby, coupled with persistent westerly winds funneling humid marine air into the region. During this time, the dewpoint reached 84 degrees, marking the second-highest level recorded since 1940.

With westerly winds continuing to dominate, dewpoints are expected to hover near or above 80 degrees through Saturday. This will result in morning temperatures feeling like the mid-90s, with daytime heat indices reaching 110 degrees or higher. While such extreme dew points and heat indices are still rare, they are becoming increasingly common in our climate-changed world. Notably, the number of 90-degree days in Tampa has doubled since the 1970s, driven by factors such as urban heat islands, increased development, and global warming.

In Tampa, the number of days where the heat index exceeds 103 degrees has more than quadrupled since the 1970s.

Much of this warming is occurring during the mornings due to a warming Gulf of Mexico, leading to nearly 60% of the city’s record warm mornings occurring in the last seven years. Tampa has recently experienced several record warm mornings, coinciding with a new study highlighting an increase in extreme heat across the Southeastern U.S., with Tampa identified as a hotspot.

The study introduces the Wet Bulb Global Temperature (WBGT) metric, which considers humidity, temperature, sunlight, and wind speed to provide a more accurate representation of heat stress. The research shows that Tampa ranks among the top locations with the largest daily mean WBGT trends, particularly in nighttime heat stress. The city had the second-largest trend in nighttime extreme intensity and the largest trend in nighttime extreme frequency, with a significant rise in extreme summer nights since 1950.

The increase in extreme summer nights has been exponential, with Tampa recording 35, 34, and 50 such nights in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. More than half of the nights during the summer of 2023 were classified as extreme heat stress nights. The overall increase in WBGT trends, particularly in urban coastal areas like Tampa, is alarming, especially considering the presence of vulnerable populations who may struggle to cope with the escalating heat. WFLA initially published the story.

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