ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- As the rest of the country sips on Pumpkin Spice Lattes, throws on the Ugg boots and rakes some leaves, we in Florida continue to burn under the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns.
So, where's our relief!? At least, does the forecast show just a teeny, tiny cool down just to breathe in some fresh air? No. Not yet.
The Tampa Bay area continues to crush it this month and likely will end up with the warmest September in recorded history by at least a degree or two over the old 83.8 degrees set in September 2016.
Every. Single. Day. this week and early next has a forecast high of at least 90 degrees, well above where we should be in the upper 80s.
"There really isn't any indication that we will see much relief from these unseasonably warm temperatures anytime soon," 10Weather Meteorologist Grant Gilmore said. "Yes, we will eventually cool off, but the 90s look like they are here to stay for a little while longer."
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Tampa's normal temperature falls below 80 degrees on Nov. 9 -- we have several weeks left to bake. For more immediate relief, let's consider the overnight temperatures: The city hits its first sub-60-degree low on Oct. 17, according to National Weather Service data.
In St. Petersburg, residents wait a bit longer for the Oct. 28 average.
But is there something, anything in that crystal ball that at least gives us a glancing blow of some cooler air? OK, maybe... the GFS weather model hints at a strong cold front pushing toward the Southeast into the second week of October.
Again, this only is a model and not an actual forecast of guaranteed cooler temperatures to come, but this goes to show these 90-degree days won't last forever.
In the meantime, we in Florida will keep putting on a brave face. We'll poke fun at the rest of the country because we still can enjoy our beaches (where there's no red tide), but deep down, there's a bit of jealousy.
We're about ready for some crisp air, you guys. Send it our way.
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