Tampa
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📷 Averette (compilation)· CC BY-SA 3.0Cigar City by the bay | La ciudad del cigarro junto a la bahía
About
Tampa is a major city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Hillsborough County. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. It is the third-most populous city in Florida, thirteenth-most populous in the Southeast, and 49th-most populous city in the country, with a population of 403,364 at the 2020 census. The Tampa Bay metropolitan area, at over 3.42 million residents, is the second-largest metropolitan area in Florida and 17th-largest in the United States. The Greater Tampa Bay area has over 4 million residents and generally includes the Tampa and Sarasota metro areas.
Wikipedia →Summary excerpted from the Wikipedia article Tampa, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text may be clipped or paraphrased to fit this page.
Why visit
The Riverwalk along the Hillsborough River links downtown's museums (Tampa Museum of Art, the Florida Aquarium) to the wonderfully theatrical Tampa theater. Ybor City; a National Historic Landmark district; is the place for Cuban sandwiches, hand-rolled cigars, and the original Columbia Restaurant. Busch Gardens delivers thrill rides; the Big Cat Rescue sanctuary is sobering and memorable. Beach lovers cross the bay to Clearwater or St. Pete. Football fans pilgrimage to Raymond James Stadium for Buccaneers games.
When to avoid
Hurricane season runs June through November; monitor forecasts and expect afternoon flooding in low-lying areas. Summer (June to September) is very hot and humid (highs near 33°C with daily thunderstorms). The city is car-dependent and sprawling; public transit is limited; rent a car. Watch for alligators near freshwater retention ponds. Avoid swimming in murky bay water (sharks and bacteria); stick to the Gulf beaches.
Summer (Wet Season)
May through October is hot and famously stormy; highs near 33°C with thick humidity and near-daily afternoon thunderstorms that can dump inches in an hour. Hurricane risk peaks August to October. Lightning strikes Tampa more than almost any US city; it's nicknamed the Lightning Capital. Plan outdoor activities for early morning, head indoors by mid-afternoon, and check radar before heading to the beach.
Winter (Dry Season)
December through February are the cooler or wetter period in Tampa. For Tampa, cooler months can suit concerts, museums, and slower walks better than exposed summer routes. For Tampa, the season works only if the route respects weather, daylight, and transport limits. Use this period in Tampa for close looking indoors, then add outdoor sections when weather and daylight cooperate. Keep Tampa compact in this season: fewer outdoor sections, better hour checks, and practical rides when conditions make transit awkward.
The next week in Tampa
7-day forecast from Open-Meteo. UV badges flag days when sun protection matters (3 and above is moderate; 8 and above is risk territory for unprotected fair skin within 30 minutes).
Today
Partly cloudy
34° / 18°
UV Very high
Sat
Overcast
34° / 20°
UV High
Sun
Showers
36° / 21°
4.0 mm
UV Very high
Mon
Showers
35° / 22°
4.7 mm
UV Very high
Tue
Showers
35° / 23°
8.1 mm
UV Very high
Wed
Drizzle
34° / 23°
0.6 mm
In May 16
JFMAMJJASOND
Air quality
No monitoring station within 25 km.
Weather
36° / 14°
Typical high / low
3 mm rainfall this month
Daylight
13.5h
06:40 – 20:11local
Year-round climate
Monthly highs, lows, and rainfall (long-term averages, NASA POWER).
Airports near Tampa
4 commercial airports within 100 km. Closest is Tampa International Airport (TPA) at 8 km.
Getting around Tampa
Public-transit operators within 8 km of the city center. Click through to each operator’s site for routes, fares, and tickets.
Operators and modes aggregated by TransitLand from individual transit-agency GTFS feeds. Route classifications (subway / tram / rail / bus / etc) come from each feed’s GTFS route_type codes.
Sister cities
Sources
This page blends public reference data, climate/elevation services, and personal notes. Travel requirements can change, so visa and entry details should be checked again before booking.
- Wikipedia →
Summary, canonical article, and some image fallbacks.
- Wikidata →
Population, area, image, coordinates, and linked identifiers where available.
- NASA POWER →
Monthly temperature and rainfall climatology.
- Open-Meteo historical weather →
1991-2020 temperature and precipitation cross-check for compact climate fields.
- Open-Elevation →
Coordinate-based elevation backfill.
- tz database →
Coordinate-based IANA timezone lookup.
- City flag source →
Public domain, Dyfsunctional at English Wikipedia.
- Site credits →
Global source notes, map tiles, flags, licenses, and attribution policy.