Expect hot afternoons this week in Tampa Bay area

Posted Jun 10, 2009 by TBO.com

Updated Jun 10, 2009 at 07:34 AM

Today will show us what Florida would be like without our afternoon rains, and it really isn’t nice weather. Think hot mixed with muggy.

High pressure is in control of our weather through the rest of the week, and that means little chance for afternoon thunderstorms or even showers. The dry air higher in the atmosphere that comes with high pressure should mean few clouds.

Unfortunately, that dry air isn’t down here where we walk around. There’s plenty of humidity where we are, with dew points in the middle 70s.

The sun will cook all afternoon, and the weather service says the heat index could range from 97 to 102 through the workweek.

The humidity also means things don’t cool much during the night. At 1 a.m., the temperature at Tampa International Airport was still 79 degrees, and it only dropped a couple more degrees before dawn.