Tampa was part of an exclusive list of cities until Sunday. The Florida city, as well as Anchorage, Alaska; Buffalo, New York; and Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, were the only cities with over 100,000 people in the continental U.S. to have never reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Now Tampa is off the list after a scorching Sunday, according to Patrick Hammer, the chief meteorologist for WGRZ in Buffalo.
Sunday's high in Tampa soared to the century mark. It was the first time ever in 135 years that the city hit 100 degrees.
Local meteorologists marveled at the feat. "We just hit the hottest temperature ever recorded in Tampa — we've got records back to the 1890s," Steven Shiveley of the National Weather Service told the Tampa Bay Times. "This is not our normal heat."
It wasn't just the heat that reached unprecedented levels; the next day, the heat index climbed to 120 degrees. The heat index, or "feels like" temperature, peaked at that level between hourly observations. Had the heat index hit 120 for the official hourly reading, it would have been a record for the city, according to WFLA Chief Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli.
Tampa is in the middle of a top-20 year in terms of high temperatures so far. The city had its 13th-warmest June and its 14th-warmest first six months of the year on record. Globally speaking, the Earth just had its third-warmest June and second-warmest January through June period on record.
Tampa's scorching temperatures came amid a heat wave that has embroiled much of the central and eastern U.S. since at least last weekend. When Tampa set its record Sunday, there were over 136 million people across portions of at least 34 states under heat alerts. By Tuesday, nearly 162 million people were under heat alerts.
Tampa and the rest of Hillsborough County were under an extreme heat warning Tuesday. "Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors," Tampa's NWS office advised. "Do not leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles. Car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes."
A combination of factors had kept Tampa from hitting 100 degrees prior to Sunday. Hot summer days in Florida are often accompanied by a sea breeze, which blows relatively cooler air in from the Gulf Coast. Humid air, which Tampa has plenty of, requires more energy to warm it compared to dry air. Last, but not least, afternoon thunderstorms that deliver rain-cooled air are quite common during the hottest months of the year in Tampa.
Shiveley listed Sunday's warm start at Tampa's airport, relatively dry air in place, and a lack of a sea breeze that day as the three factors that contributed to the city's record heat. While Monday and Tuesday were expected to be the hottest days of the week, record highs are within reach the rest of this week based on the forecast from Tampa's NWS office. The record high for Wednesday and Thursday is 97, and it is 98 for Friday. The forecast is for highs at least in the mid-90s during the period.
Our warming world is making dangerous heat waves, such as the one impacting the U.S. this week, more common, as heat-trapping gases supercharge extreme weather events. A historic heat wave struck Europe in late June through early July, killing around 2,300 people across a dozen cities. A new study linked roughly 1,500 of those deaths to our overheating planet. Conducted by an international team of scientists, the study found nearly 65% of the fatalities were climate-driven.
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
|
How often does the temperature get over 100 degrees where you live? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Never 😎 
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
