Tampa

Cigar City by the bay | La ciudad del cigarro junto a la bahía

Why visit

The Riverwalk along the Hillsborough River links downtown museums, the Tampa Museum of Art, and the Florida Aquarium to the theatrical Tampa Theatre. Ybor City is the National Historic Landmark district for Cuban sandwiches, hand-rolled cigars, and the original Columbia Restaurant. Busch Gardens brings the thrill-ride side, beach trips cross the bay to Clearwater or St. Pete, and football fans have 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.

Plan Tampa

Current conditions and the practical reference material that helps turn the saved places into a trip.

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

Drizzle

29° / 25°

1.9 mm

UV High

Wed

Showers

30° / 23°

56.5 mm

UV High

Thu

Thunderstorm

35° / 24°

8.8 mm

UV High

Fri

Thunderstorm

34° / 25°

11.5 mm

UV Very high

Sat

Drizzle

35° / 24°

1.4 mm

UV Very high

Sun

Drizzle

34° / 25°

2.4 mm

UV Very high

Mon

Overcast

35° / 25°

UV Very high

Climate

Hot and wet season (Jun-Sep)

About 63% of the year's rain falls in these months. Typical highs around 30°C, lows around 25°C.

Cooler dry season (Oct-May)

Typical highs around 24°C, lows around 16°C. About 67mm of rain a month.

In August 4

Drag to scrub across the year.

JFMAMJJASOND

Weather

30° / 25°

Typical high / low

8 mm rainfall this month

Daylight

13.2h

06:59 – 20:09local

Holidays coming up

Public holidays from Nager.Date.

Airports

closest TPA · 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.

Local transit operators

Amtrak Greyhound Flixbus PSTAAmtrak Chartered VehicleHillsborough Area Regional TransitTampa International Airport

About Tampa

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.

Area: 454 km²
Mayor: Jane Castor
Airport codes: TPA

United States of America basics →Country context, advisories, and entry links for the practicalities shown above.

References5

The links below support the changing or licensed reference material on this page. Personal notes and ordinary geographic facts are not footnoted individually.

City background. Wikipedia summary may be clipped or paraphrased. Structured fields are cross-checked against the related references.