Tampa Bay will experience a tiny glimpse of fall-like weather this week.
Blink and you’ll miss it.
Starting around Wednesday afternoon, the wind will pick up and pull in drier air. Temperatures won’t drop much, but it will feel noticeably more pleasant, said Tony Hurt, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office.
“Generously put, a little bit of fall-ish weather,” Hurt said.
The cool down likely won’t last long. The drier and breezy air will stick around until Friday, when humidity levels will claw back up.
The change will start Wednesday with wind gusts of up to 25 mph, according to a weather service forecast.
Thursday and Friday mornings are likely to be slightly cooler than normal, with most of Tampa Bay in the low to mid-70s. Areas north of Tampa Bay could fall into the upper 60s. Daytime temperatures will stay around 90, Hurt said.
A National Weather Service forecast shows the expected low temperature across Florida Friday morning.
However, humidity levels will be markedly lower, Hurt said.
For example, humidity levels on Tuesday could reach up to 75%. Higher humidity levels lead to the signature muggy Florida weather in the summer.
By Wednesday, humidity levels will drop to 55 to 65%, Hurt said. They could fall to 50 to 60% on Thursday.
Rain chances also will drop over the next few days, though they are likely to rebound by Friday as the weather returns to normal.
The first official day of autumn is Sept. 22. Tampa Bay can typically expect muggy, summer-like weather to stick around into October, according to the weather service.
There can be short-lived breaks of cooler air, but lasting cool air rarely arrives until November.
For now, Tampa Bay will have to settle for a quick reprieve from Florida’s sweltering heat.
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