Hot and wet summer in the Tampa Bay Area

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — It seems like every year we break new temperature records. In fact, the last few summers have been the hottest on record, and this summer wasn’t far behind.

Plant City, St. Pete and Winter Haven recorded the highest average temperatures from June to August, meaning these cities experienced the hottest summer on record in 2024, while Tampa and Sarasota recorded the five highest average temperatures.

In many communities in the Tampa Bay Area, temperatures were one to three degrees above average throughout the summer.

This year was very different from last year in terms of rainfall.

Last summer we had a westerly flow for an extended period of time, making the coast much drier and the inland areas very wet. This year was a little different, with a prevailing easterly flow and several inches to over a foot of rain from Tropical Storm Debby.

This year will go down in history as the wettest summer in Sarasota and the second wettest in Tampa.

Tropical Storm Debby caused severe flooding in Sarasota County as rainfall totaled over 50 inches this summer, putting Sarasota over 24 inches above average for June through August and the Tampa Bay Area over 14 inches above average.

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