 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Looking for some hot stuff? It's here
By ED QUIOCO, Times Staff Writer That last breath of springtime may have already passed us by. Temperatures soared into the low 90s during the weekend, breaking or nearing records at several locations. More of the same is in store, meteorologists say. A tropical ridge of high pressure over Florida and parts of the southeastern United States has spurred the summer-like temperatures by essentially trapping warm air. Temperature records were set Saturday in Tampa, Bradenton and the Clearwater-St. Petersburg area, where a high of 93 broke the record of 92 set in 1936. Tampa also had another record day Sunday when the temperature reached 94, exceeding the record of 92 set in 1995. "We just kind of had a high pressure aloft over us which kept the atmosphere fairly warm," said Richard Rude, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Ruskin. For Nancy Sanford, who spends much of her day outdoors, the temperature records confirm what she already knows: A breeze can be a blessing. "Once it gets out of the mid 80s, it's just across-the-board hot," said Sanford, the owner of Vinoy Basin Boat Rentals at the St. Petersburg municipal pier. "The only saving grace is that we have had these wonderful breezes." Today's highs are expected to stay in the low 90s, Rude said. But a bit of relief is expected when a cooling front from the gulf passes over the Tampa Bay area Tuesday and Wednesday. That should lower the temperatures by 3 to 5 degrees, he said. Since the start of May, temperatures have been about 10 degrees warmer at night than the normal lows. "We are kind of beginning the summer season down here," Rude said.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
