For First Time In Weather Records Dating Back To 1890, Tampa Hits 100F

On Sunday, July 27, Tampa officially reached 100 degrees for the first time in recorded history, and if that has you scratching your head, you’re not alone. Florida is famous for its sunshine, heat and humidity, so it might seem surprising that parts of the Sunshine State rarely, if ever, hit the triple digits. But there are a few key reasons why reaching 100 degrees is actually unusual for much of Florida.

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Why Florida Struggles To Reach 100 Degrees

Despite the heat, Florida’s geography and climate play a big role in keeping temperatures below the century mark. All three reasons have one thing in common: water.

High Humidity: Florida is known for its sweltering, sticky summers. While humidity can make it feel unbearably hot, it actually works to suppress high temperatures. That’s because humid air holds more moisture, and moist air heats up more slowly than dry air. This keeps actual air temperatures lower than in places like Arizona, where dry air allows temperatures to spike more easily.

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Here's How Tampa Finally Topped 100

With all of the factors above playing into temperatures staying below 100, how did Tampa finally crack the century mark? One of the major reasons was wind direction. Instead of a breeze coming off of the ocean, their winds were out of the northeast, which meant hot air kept filtering in from land. Drier air was also in place, which allowed for temperatures to soar higher than they normally would in the summer months.

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https://weather.com/news/weather/news/2025-07-28-tampa-first-100-degree-day-heres-how?cm_ven=hp-slot-3