ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Warmth and sunshine are what Tampa Bay is known for and this week, the area will certainly deliver on its reputation as temperatures gradually warm each day.
To start the week, temperatures will generally be in the mid-upper 70s Monday and while this will be the "coolest" conditions this week, it'll still be a little warmer than normal.
The normal high temperature is 75 degrees for mid-late February.
High pressure centered over the western Gulf of Mexico will begin to build as it shifts to the east through the first half of the week. This will allow for a little more warmth on Tuesday, with high temperatures across the area near 80 degrees or just a little warmer inland.
It won't be until Wednesday when the center of the high-pressure system will move east of the area, which will lock in the south-southwesterly flow that will pump in the heat for the remainder of the week. Temperatures in the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday will climb into the mid-upper 80s.
The record high temperature in Tampa on Wednesday is 87 degrees set in 2018.
As the south-southwesterly wind travels inland, it will warm up even more resulting in even hotter conditions throughout central Florida. Places like Lakeland and Orlando will see high temperatures Wednesday afternoon near 90 degrees.
The record high in Lakeland on Wednesday is 88 degrees set in 1988.
This pattern will remain in place through the rest of the week into Saturday when high temperatures in Tampa Bay will be in the middle 80s with highs inland near 90 degrees or even the low 90s. The record high temperature for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday all look to be in jeopardy for Lakeland with a string of days expected near 90 degrees.
Tampa will be a little cooler than Lakeland, but a couple of record highs will also be in jeopardy on Friday and Saturday. The record high on Friday and Saturday are 85 and 87 degrees, respectively. The forecast for those two days is right there in the mid-upper 80s.
So, Friday if not both Friday and Saturday could tie or break the record high for those two dates.
It looks like after Saturday, the temperatures will moderate a little. While record high temperatures are not likely into next week it does look like above-normal temperatures will continue through the remainder of February into early March.
