Tampa starts Thursday with clear skies and temperatures in the low 70s, but the city is headed for another hot afternoon before a sharper weather change arrives this weekend. Highs will reach around 90 degrees today, with a cooler, breezier pattern taking over by Sunday.
Sunny Thursday Brings A Brief Storm Chance
Thursday will stay sunny for most of the day, with an afternoon high near 90 and a heat index as high as 97. Isolated showers and thunderstorms could develop after 5 p.m., but the rain chance is only 20%, making this more of a brief interruption than an all-day washout.
According to the National Weather Service Tampa Bay office, temperatures will remain warm Friday, when Tampa reaches about 89 degrees and feels closer to 98. Storm chances rise late Friday afternoon, followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms into Friday night.
Cooler, Windier Weekend Arrives
Saturday marks the bigger turn, with a high near 80 and a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms. North winds could gust to 22 mph during the day, then continue Saturday night as temperatures fall to around 66 and gusts reach as high as 26 mph.
Sunday looks mostly sunny and noticeably cooler, with a high near 78. Northeast winds of 14 to 18 mph could gust to 31 mph, so even a dry day may feel blustery around Tampa Bay. The updated outlook is a meaningful shift from Hoodline's earlier forecast, with stronger winds and a cooler weekend now taking center stage.
Mostly Sunny Into Next Week
The cooler pattern holds into next week, with highs near 80 Monday, 81 Tuesday and 82 Wednesday. Overnight lows should stay in the mid-60s, while rain chances remain low until isolated afternoon showers and thunderstorms return Wednesday.
Boaters should be more cautious than land-based residents: Forecasters expect north to northeast winds of 20 to 30 knots and seas up to 12 feet across the eastern Gulf beginning Saturday and continuing through much of next week. Small Craft Advisory conditions are expected offshore, even as Tampa's beaches and neighborhoods turn mostly sunny.
