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Fall Weather On Its Way To Bay Area

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By NEIL JOHNSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2007

TAMPA - They really mean it this time, honest.

The National Weather Service says some cooler weather is coming, with a dip in temperatures appearing as early as this morning.

And, boy, are people ready for it.

"I hope it changes soon as possible. It's been humid for a long time. By the end of October, it usually gets cold," said Terry Davis, whose job for the city of Tampa keeps him outdoors year-round.
Forecasters say that for sure by Saturday morning we should feel a difference, with the temperatures hitting the high 50s away from the coast - a neighborhood the thermometer hasn't explored since May 8 when the morning low was 59.

In Hillsborough County, Saturday morning's low is forecast to be 58 and Sunday morning could be about 56.

Temperatures near the coast should be in the low 60s.

In Hernando County, the morning lows could be in the low 50s or possibly high 40s for the weekend.

That would be fine with Ann Rizzuto, who lives in Spring Hill and works in Tampa.

"It's been a long, hot summer," she said. "It's been hot and muggy with no break at all. My yard looks like a jungle."

In fact, the cool mornings could extend through the weekend into next week, though not registering as cool as Sunday is expected to be.

During the day, the highs should be in the upper 70s or low 80s. Dry air should come with the cooler weather, helping things feel even better.

But it may not get cold enough to suit Kim Polk, a downtown Tampa office worker who lives in Plant City.

"I'm tired of the heat. I'd like to see it in the 40s or 30s, but I'll take what I can get," she said.

The relative humidity should fall from about 75 percent this afternoon to the 40 percent or 50 percent range Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Of course, two weeks ago the weather service was fairly confident a potent cold front would arrive and push temperatures into the 50s in the mornings. That front stalled to our north. It brought some rain but little in the way of lower temperatures.

This time, forecasters say fall's first cool front will make it to the Tampa Bay area.

The cool front a few days into November follows the second-hottest October on record for Tampa. The average temperature last month was 79.8 degrees, falling just shy of the 1919 record of 80.4.

Before last month, the second-warmest October since 1895 in Tampa was in 1959 when the average temperature was 79.6 degrees. That measurement comes from the average of each day's high and low temperatures.

Once Tropical Storm Noel passes and heads into the Atlantic, the trough that's helping shove Noel away will move in and bring some cooler, drier air behind it.

Instead of the moist, warm air that's flowed over the state from the Atlantic the past two weeks, winds will bring air from the northwest or north that should hold less tropical moisture.

In addition, the forecast erases the chance of rain through the weekend and into next week.

Ralph Lay, who lives in South Tampa, likes half that forecast, anyway.

"A little rain would be good, too," Lay said.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.

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