TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa Bay residents should keep their sunglasses handy but their umbrellas closer as a week of climbing temperatures prepares to collide with a series of afternoon storms.
The region is settling into a classic Florida weather pattern where clear morning skies give way to building clouds and shifting winds.
Today offers the most straightforward weather of the week, featuring mostly sunny skies and a high near 86 degrees. A light eastern breeze between 3 and 8 mph will keep things moving, while tonight stays quiet and partly cloudy with a dip down to 62 degrees.
The heat cranks up on Thursday, pushing the high toward 88 degrees. However, the atmosphere gets restless after 2 p.m. with a 50 percent chance of much-needed showers and thunderstorms.
While most areas might see between a tenth and a quarter of an inch of rain, those caught directly under a thunderstorm should expect significantly higher amounts. Most of that activity is expected to wrap up by 8 p.m., leaving a partly cloudy night with a low of 66.
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Friday and the start of the weekend look largely cooperative for outdoor plans. Friday will mirror Thursday’s high of 88 degrees, though the storm risk drops to a slim 20 percent in the afternoon. Saturday is currently slated to be the peak of the heat, reaching a high near 89 degrees under bright, sunny skies with a gentle east wind.
The pattern begins to shift again on Sunday. After a sunny start and a high of 88, a 20 percent chance of rain returns in the afternoon as winds shift from calm to a west-northwest flow.
This transition leads into a more unsettled start to the work week. Monday brings a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms throughout the day and night, with highs hovering around 84 degrees.
By Tuesday, the region will see a more significant change; clouds will dominate the sky and rain chances will jump to 50 percent, finally pulling the daytime high down to a much cooler 78 degrees.
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