Heat stress in Tampa
Humid subtropical heat with intense sun and a long, sticky summer season.
Limit outdoor exertion. Drink water every 15 minutes and rest in shade.
Wet-bulb globe temperature via the Liljegren (2008) method. This page is cached and refreshes in the background, so the live badge below can be a few minutes ahead of it.
View Tampa on the live mapReading heat stress in Tampa
Wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is the heat measure that actually tracks danger to the body. Unlike the plain air temperature on your phone, it folds in humidity, wind, and direct sun: the factors that decide whether your sweat can still cool you. It’s the standard the military, athletic associations, and occupational-safety bodies use to call when outdoor activity is no longer safe.
That matters in Tampa because humid subtropical heat with intense sun and a long, sticky summer season. The number above is the live outdoor WBGT for the city right now; tap through to the live map to inspect any neighborhood, scrub the forecast hour by hour, and see the 7-day outlook.
How hot Tampa usually gets
Across 2015–2024, Tampa averaged a 88°F daily high in summer: 62nd hottest of the 174 metros we track, and July is typically the warmest month.
Summer runs warm rather than extreme: about 34 days a year reach 90°F, and 100°F is essentially unheard of.
Humidity is the real story: summer averages about 81%, so sweat evaporates poorly and heat stress runs well above what a 88°F afternoon suggests.
A bad day runs well past a normal one, with 100°F recorded against a 88°F summer average.
Daily high temperatures and humidity from ERA5 reanalysis, 2015–2024 (hottest day in the sample: 2023-08-13). These are climate averages for context: the reading at the top of this page is the live one.
For school sports, FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) publishes FHSAA 2026-27 Handbook, Policy 41: Exertional Heat Illness (per Fla. Stat. §1006.165), practice index 41.8.3, which uses wet-bulb globe temperature. Florida’s activity zones appear beside the live reading in the app. Our Florida heat policy page has the details, the source and the date we last checked it.
Heat in Tampa: common questions
How hot does it usually get in Tampa?
Across 2015–2024, Tampa averaged a 88°F daily high through summer, with about 34 days a year at or above 90°F. July is typically the hottest month, and the hottest day in that sample reached 100°F. Figures are from ERA5 daily reanalysis.
When is the hottest time of year in Tampa?
July has the highest average daily high in Tampa. Humidity is the real story here: summer averages about 81%, so sweat evaporates poorly and heat stress runs well above what the temperature alone suggests. Use the forecast on this page to plan around the specific days that matter.
Does Florida have a heat policy for school sports?
FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) publishes FHSAA 2026-27 Handbook, Policy 41: Exertional Heat Illness (per Fla. Stat. §1006.165), practice index 41.8.3, which uses wet-bulb globe temperature. Florida’s activity zones appear beside the live reading in the app. Our WBGT is a modeled estimate rather than the on-site device reading a policy may call for, so check the association's own document for current requirements.
What is the WBGT in Tampa right now?
The reading at the top of this page is the current wet-bulb globe temperature for Tampa, Florida, computed from live weather by the Liljegren (2008) method and labeled with how recently it updated. For an exact reading at your own neighborhood, plus an hour-by-hour forecast, open the live map.
Why is WBGT more useful than the temperature for Tampa?
Air temperature ignores humidity, wind, and sun: the things that decide whether heat is dangerous. Tampa's climate (humid subtropical heat with intense sun and a long, sticky summer season.) is exactly why a single "feels-like" or thermometer reading can understate the real risk. WBGT captures all of it in one number.
When is heat most dangerous in Tampa?
July is the peak month in Tampa, and within a day heat stress is highest in the early-to-mid afternoon when sun load is greatest. About 34 days a year reach 90°F, so most of the risk sits in a handful of afternoons rather than across the whole season. Use the forecast on this page to find the window that works.
Put Tampa’s live heat stress on your site
A self-updating WBGT badge for schools, teams, camps, and local sites: it always shows the current reading and links back here.
<iframe src="https://wetbulbtracker.com/embed/tampa-fl" width="340" height="150" style="border:0" title="Live WBGT: Tampa, FL" loading="lazy"></iframe>Paste it into any website. The badge updates itself and links back here. Add ?theme=light for light sites.