Tampa Bay Weekend Weather: Steamy Conditions Return

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Bay area residents with big outdoor plans this weekend may want to dress for the heat, but keep umbrellas handy just in case.

According to the National Weather Service’s Ruskin office, the region is in for a hot start to the weekend. Friday’s high is expected to reach the low 90s with heat index values expected in the 100-degree range. On the upside, there’s only a 20 percent chance of isolated thunderstorms in the forecast heading into the afternoon hours. Storm chances remain slight overnight when the low is expected to drop into the mid-70s.

Saturday is expected to get a nice, sunny start. The day’s high is anticipated to reach the low 90s with heat index values expected in the upper-90s range. There’s about a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms headed into the afternoon hours. Those chances drop to about 30 percent overnight. The evening low is expected to fall to the mid-70s with partly cloudy skies expected after storms clear from the region.

Sunday is anticipated to get under way with a sunny start and a high around 90 degrees in much of the region. Scattered thunderstorm chances move in during the afternoon hours and stick around into the evening. The overnight low is expected to fall into the mid-70s yet again.

Forecasters don’t anticipate any organized severe weather over the weekend, but warn some thunderstorms that crop up may pack a punch. Storms that do develop could produce heavy rain, frequent lighting and gusty winds, forecasters wrote in Friday’s Hazardous Weather Outlook report. Flooding also remains a concern along the Myakka River and Cypress Creek.

For an extended forecast in your neighborhood, visit your local Patch’s homepage.

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