What kind of weather gets you in the Christmas spirit? Is it a winter wonderland with the smell of wood burning in the fireplace? Or is it a tropical paradise with palm trees swaying in the breeze?
Your answer may depend on where you grew up or spent most of your life!
You don't have to be a meteorologist to know most years are mild or warm for Christmas Day in the Tampa Bay region. Considering the climatological average high for this time of year is 73, that's not a shock.
Looking at the data, you'll find that it's very common for our area to have highs in the 60s, 70s or 80s on Christmas, but it's rarer to have highs only in the 50s. It happens, but those instances are in the minority, primarily because of our southern latitude.
In 2022, Tampa had a high temperature of 46 degrees on Christmas Day.
What's interesting is that you can go back through the last 100 years and find a rhythm (or pattern) to the temperatures. Some years and decades were warmer, while others were cooler. It ebbs and flow.
It's not too surprising, considering large-scale global patterns, such as El Niño and La Niña, can influence our regional weather.
A strong El Niño can cause wetter, stormier winters for us- and that certainly was the case in 1997. That winter was very stormy, and we had the wettest December on record.
The Arctic Oscillation plays a big role in winter weather, especially across the eastern U.S. In the winters of 2009 and 2010, we had the coldest December on record with many chilly days. That pattern flipped a few years later, and we had some of the warmest Decembers on record in 2015 and 2016.
The warmest Christmas Day temperature is 86 degrees, which we've hit multiple times.
Yet, the coldest saw a low temperature 20 degrees in 1983. That same day, we had a high of only 38 here in Tampa, which is very cold by our standards.
2022: Mostly cloudy and breezy. High: 46, Low: 31.
2021: Sunny. High: 77, Low: 56.
2020: Partly cloudy and cold. High: 57, Low: 45.
2019: Mostly sunny and warm. High: 81, Low: 63.
2018: Sunny and beautiful. High: 74, Low: 53.
2017: Weak front brought early morning showers. High: 75, Low: 58.
2016: Mostly sunny and warm. Tied record high. High: 86, Low: 67.
2015: Thick morning fog, warm and muggy. Tied record high. High: 86, Low: 70.
2014: Cloudy morning, cool and partly sunny afternoon. High: 66, Low: 55.
2013: Chilly start, comfortable afternoon. High: 76, Low: 49.
2012: Mostly cloudy but comfortable. High: 74, Low: 57.
2011: Mostly sunny and warm. High: 82, Low: 64.
2010: Nice most of the day with night rain showers moving in with a front. High: 71, Low: 45.
2009: Light morning showers, cloudy all day. High: 73, Low: 66.
2008: Mostly cloudy with light scattered showers. Warm, muggy. High: 82, Low: 70.
2007: Sunny and nice. High: 76, Low: 58.
2006: Severe squall line with an EF-2 tornado in Pasco County. High: 79, Low: 69.
2005: Front passed with rain and gusty winds of 50 mph. High: 70, Low: 57.
2004: Cloudy and rainy. High: 60, Low: 48.
2003: Sunny and cool. High: 66, Low: 47.
2002: Rain ended early, then cloudy and windy. High: 70, Low: 51.
2001: Cloudy and chilly with light rain. High: 58, Low: 51.
2000: Breezy, mostly sunny. High: 71, Low: 49.
1999: Sunny, but chilly. High: 58, Low: 43.
1998: Sunny and warm. High: 79, Low: 64.
1997: Wet and stormy with record-setting rain of 1.53 inches. High 73, Low 69.
Last year was the coldest Christmas since Bay News 9 started and the coldest in over 30 years.
This year looks to be closer to normal, with highs in the 70s and a chance of showers.
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