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Think Scorching August Broke The Record? Well, Almost

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By NEIL JOHNSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 5, 2007

TAMPA - August in Hillsborough County, always hot and wet, was hotter and wetter this year.

Weather service temperature readings confirm that the month just ended was the hottest August in 66 years and the second hottest August since Tampa records began in 1890.

The average daily temperature last month was 84.9 degrees, just above the 84.4 degrees in August 1951 and only a bit below the all-time August record of 85.1 degrees in 1941.

The normal average temperature - the sum of the high and low each day, divided by two - is 82.7 degrees.

What's more, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties recorded above-normal rainfall for the month, even though other counties in the Tampa Bay area received lower than average rain for the month and all Florida counties remain below average for the first eight months of 2007.

Rainfall this year ranges from 73 percent of normal in Hernando and Polk counties to 83 percent of normal in Hillsborough. Pinellas at 79 percent and Pasco County at 77 percent fall in the middle.

The rainfall numbers come from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which records daily rain at more than 80 locations in 15 counties, but are not the official National Weather Service rainfall numbers measured at Tampa International Airport.

August's rain helped increase the flow of the Hillsborough River slightly - enough that water is flowing over Tampa's dam on the river. However, on a scale of 1 to 100, the river is at a 5. In August last year, the Hillsborough River was at 2.
Tampa Bay Water also is able to divert river water again to its reservoir in southern Hillsborough, which is used for storage to supplement the water supply in the dry season.

Lack of water in the rivers prevented the regional utility from filling the reservoir from October until July.

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

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