Florida has been running warmer than average, while parts of the country endure one of the most severe arctic outbreaks in recorded history that has claimed at least 20 lives so far.

What You Need To Know

  • Tampa's temperatures have ranged 40 degrees this month

  • February is running 3.5 degrees warmer than average so far

  • Stormy weather this month has led to a wetter February

  • More than half the days reported fog

Severe weather, frosty mornings, and fog are what this month in Tampa Bay will be remembered for. It's been an interesting February on many fronts. 

While our local weather hasn't been anything truly abnormal, a lot has already happened. 

Let's begin by looking at the month as a whole. Despite all the cold air located very close by, our temperatures have been running warm. So far, Tampa is running about 3.5 degrees warmer than usual this month. 

February has also had its share of stormy weather and foggy mornings. It's been quite active this month and the storms have already placed Tampa above average for the month when it comes to rainfall – by nearly two inches. 

The month started cold and temperatures dipped into the 20s for much of Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco counties where a widespread freeze was reported. 

Frost was reported in most of our counties, which has been fairly common this season. 

Even though it was cold, our temperatures were nowhere near record territory. Tampa would have to drop to 22 degrees to break the record low for the month of February. It's hard to believe that Tampa can get that cold! 

All eyes soon turned to the forecasts for Super Bowl weekend. There was discussion of thunderstorms, perhaps severe weather, the night before the big game and whether or not the storms would end in time for the Super Bowl. 

Saturday night, all of Tampa Bay was placed in a tornado watch as storms were moving in from the Gulf of Mexico. 

There were no tornadoes this time, but the storms sure had a lot of energy with frequent lightning. These storms lit up the sky as the rolled onshore, especially in Citrus County.

Fortunately, the storms moved out early Sunday morning, clearing the path for a smooth weather day for Super Bowl Sunday. Nobody wanted to see Nature's fireworks during the halftime show. Everything worked out perfectly. 

Temperatures started to warm up quite a bit over the last week and that means one thing this time of year: sea fog!

It was dense and visibility was reduced to near-zero at times. 

Fog has been frequent this month. In fact, Tampa has reported more days with fog than without it so far this month.

Occasionally, cold fronts swing through and cool us down. This also rids the area of foggy weather but often brings in stormy weather. 

We had another dose of severe weather very early on Valentine's Day. A severe thunderstorm produced a tornado during the middle of the night on the coast of Pinellas County.

While there was damage, there were no injuries or fatalities. 

We are just more than halfway through the month and a lot can still happen between now and March. 

The winter months tend to produce a wide variety of weather. During the warmer months, cold fronts don't survive this far south and our temperatures remain pretty consistent. 

Speaking of the warmer months, they are quickly approaching! There will be a few more shots of cooler weather but they will begin to slow down in frequency for Tampa Bay.