David Fushini of Tampa is seen through the mangroves as he a little "food fishing" on Monday at Gandy Beach in St. Petersburg.
ST. PETERSBURG - It's just another hot day for the Tampa Bay area.
But for some parts of the country, Tuesday marks the start of the season when temperatures cool down, days get shorter and leaves turn brilliant colors.
The autumnal equinox, often called the start of fall, is at 6:47 a.m. today, as the sun crosses the equator and positions itself farther from the earth's Northern Hemisphere.
That doesn't mean much here though.
Forecasters predict temperatures will be in the upper 80s with a 60 percent chance of rain.
"As we get into Wednesday, the moisture is going to spread across everywhere," said Ron Morales, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tampa. "It looks pretty wet from Wednesday to Friday of this coming week."
The rain and increased cloud cover will cool things off a little bit, more from a weather system coming from the east than the calendar arrival of autumn, Morales said.
In fact, many locals didn't realize summer had slipped away.
"It doesn't mean much to me," said Mark Mackenzie, a commercial truck driver who lives in St. Petersburg. "It's going to be hot like this another month and a half and tease us with a couple of cold fronts."
Mackenzie is right, according to the National Weather Service.
Tampa Bay residents shouldn't expect to feel "autumn" until mid October or November. And if they're waiting for some colorful leaves, that may not happen until December, he said.
"There are subtle changes now," Morales said. "You can tell the days aren't quite as long. It's been especially humid this time of year. That'll make any change as we come into the week seem nicer."
Temperatures last week were normal for this time of year, Morales said.
It was the humidity that made it feel so miserable. Normal highs are about 90 degrees.
By Oct. 31, normal highs are about 80 degrees and lows are about 64 degrees. High temperatures don't drop into the 70s and 60s until November.
Josh Snyder and Nick Chancey are ready.
"I like cooler weather," said Nick, 12, of St. Petersburg. "Early November? I can't wait that long."
"It's too hot," said Josh, 13. "I've got to ride my bike to school."
Morales assures there is cooler weather in store. And it will get cool enough for the leaves to change colors.
Even the lizards and mosquitoes will go into hiding.
This may not happen, though, until January or February, he said.
If you want cooler weather or some colorful leaves sooner, you may want to head north.
