TAMPA, Fla. — It would be wise to keep those umbrellas close each day because we are officially in the heart of west-central Florida's rainy season!
This time of year, abundant atmospheric moisture, instability, and colliding sea breezes lead to erupting thunderstorms and heavy downpours almost daily.
While this weekend wasn't completely a washout, the afternoon showers sure added to our monthly rainfall totals. Take Saturday, for example. The reporting station at Tampa International Airport (TPA) picked up a whopping 2.86 inches of rain, setting a new daily rainfall record for the city.
It's quite an inconvenience to get caught in one of those rainy season downpours, but this water is necessary for our climate. Plenty more rain is on the way this summer, but let's see where the City of Tampa stacks up so far this season.
Let's talk numbers. In June, the average rainfall at Tampa International Airport totals up to 7.37" for the month. This year, the rainfall amounts totaled slightly higher than that normal number at 8.07". Hoorah!
June is usually a drier month compared to July and August, and that's already being reflected in our current rainfall totals for this year. Climatologically speaking, July sees about 7.75" of rain through the month, but we're already close to surpassing that amount. Since July 17, the airport observed approximately 7.50" of rain, including the record rainfall from Saturday.
We're right on track for July; and with rainy season in full effect, that total will jump up a bit by the end of the month. Impacts from tropical systems typically begin in mid-September, resulting in higher rainfall variability across the region.
In total, Tampa International Airport received 15.57" of rain since June 1, adding into this yearly total of 30.03". In comparison, the normal annual rainfall amount for TPA is 49.48" of rain, and we're headed in the right direction.
