What should you know about St. Petersburg's weather?
- NWS office
- Tampa Bay Area (TBW)
- Climate
- Humid subtropical
- Time zone
- EST/EDT
- Elevation
- 8 ft
- Coordinates
- 27.77° N, 82.63° W
- Nearest radar
- KTBW · Tampa NEXRAD · 15 mi
- County
- Pinellas County, FL
- Yearly rain
- 46.7 in
- Warmest month
- August · 84°F average
- Coldest month
- January · 62.2°F average
- Severe storm peak
- Jun to Aug
How much rain does St. Petersburg get each month?
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 69.0 | 71.9 | 75.9 | 81.0 | 86.3 | 88.9 | 89.6 | 89.8 | 88.1 | 83.3 | 76.8 | 71.5 |
| Low °F | 55.3 | 57.9 | 62.1 | 67.3 | 72.6 | 76.7 | 78.0 | 78.2 | 77.0 | 72.2 | 64.5 | 58.7 |
| Rain (in) | 2.52 | 2.02 | 2.58 | 1.93 | 2.26 | 6.79 | 7.49 | 8.39 | 6.66 | 2.16 | 1.46 | 2.39 |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Rain (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69.0 | 55.3 | 2.52 |
| Feb | 71.9 | 57.9 | 2.02 |
| Mar | 75.9 | 62.1 | 2.58 |
| Apr | 81.0 | 67.3 | 1.93 |
| May | 86.3 | 72.6 | 2.26 |
| Jun | 88.9 | 76.7 | 6.79 |
| Jul | 89.6 | 78.0 | 7.49 |
| Aug | 89.8 | 78.2 | 8.39 |
| Sep | 88.1 | 77.0 | 6.66 |
| Oct | 83.3 | 72.2 | 2.16 |
| Nov | 76.8 | 64.5 | 1.46 |
| Dec | 71.5 | 58.7 | 2.39 |
ST PETERSBURG AP, FL US · 1 mi away · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020
How did the 1921 hurricane damage St. Petersburg?
It all but destroyed the city's municipal pier and threw boats moored along the waterfront into the docks. NWS Tampa Bay Area calls the October 25, 1921 storm the most destructive hurricane to hit the area since 1848. A surge of up to 11 feet damaged and destroyed structures along the coast from Pasco County south through Southwest Florida, and Pass-a-Grille's main hotel on the beach was badly damaged. Winds were estimated at 120 mph near landfall in Tarpon Springs, and there were eight confirmed deaths. Forecasts back then leaned on past storms, which suggested that hurricanes moving over the Gulf tended to pass well north of Tampa.
How did Hurricane Helene's surge hit Pinellas County?
Helene's surge drowned 12 people in Pinellas County in September 2024, even though the storm made landfall far away in the Florida Big Bend. A USGS sensor at Madeira Beach measured 7.26 feet above mean higher high water, with significant waves on top. The Clearwater tide gauge, with a record back to 1973, reached 6.67 feet and passed its previous record from the Superstorm of March 1993. Bands over the city can look modest on radar while the water rises, so evacuation orders for your zone matter more than the loop.
Do tornadoes and waterspouts reach St. Petersburg from the Gulf?
Yes, and several of the city's tornadoes have moved in off the water. On April 4, 1966, during one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in Central Florida history, tornadoes moving in from the Gulf of Mexico first struck Pinellas County near St. Petersburg and Clearwater and damaged 36 homes. A tornado in St. Petersburg damaged and unroofed 20 homes on March 20, 1964. On January 2, 1972, a small waterspout moved in from the Gulf and ripped a screened enclosure and roof from a house. Because radar beam height increases with range, KTBW scans low over the city and can catch rotation here that it would miss over distant towns.
Why does the St. Petersburg weather radar matter on lightning days?
Radar does not detect lightning, but the fast-growing storms it shows are the ones producing it, and the city has a long record of deadly strikes. Lightning killed a man on the beach in St. Petersburg on June 11, 1964. On July 9, 1968, lightning killed a man while he was fishing on the Florida Presbyterian College campus. The Storm Events entry for Pinellas County records 1 death and 7 injuries from a lightning event on July 21, 2019. Get off the beach or the water as soon as a cell starts building nearby, before the first raindrops fall.
When should you check the St. Petersburg radar?
Rainy season
May 25 to October 10NWS Tampa Bay Area uses these dates for West Central Florida, and August is the wettest month at the St. Petersburg airport with 8.39 inches. Boaters heading out past Egmont Key check the loop before noon, while new cells are still small.
Hurricane season
June 1 to November 30Most activity comes between mid-August and mid-October. Residents of the barrier islands from St. Pete Beach to Indian Rocks Beach leave when evacuation orders come, not when the first bands reach the radar.
What else do people ask about the St. Petersburg radar?
Which NWS office and radar cover St. Petersburg?
NWS Tampa Bay Area (TBW) issues forecasts and warnings for St. Petersburg. The nearest NEXRAD radar is KTBW, about 15 miles from the city center.
How often does the radar on this page update?
The radar loop on this page updates every 5 minutes.
Is this page an official warning service?
No. It shows radar and forecasts only. For warnings, follow NWS Tampa Bay Area and local emergency alerts.
Quick facts
- Radar: KTBW (Tampa NEXRAD), a new frame every 5 minutes
- Forecasts and warnings: NWS Tampa Bay Area (TBW)
- Severe storms peak from June to August (NOAA Storm Events, 1996 to 2025)
- Local time: EST/EDT
- Radar: KTBW, a new frame every 5 minutes
- Warnings: NWS Tampa Bay Area (TBW)
- Severe storms: June to August
- Local time: EST/EDT
Where does this data come from?
- NOAA NEXRAD radar via Iowa Environmental Mesonet
- National Weather Service, Tampa Bay Area office
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020: ST PETERSBURG AP, FL US
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1996 to 2025
- USGS Elevation Point Query Service
- GOES-East satellite imagery
- Open-Meteo forecast API
- OpenStreetMap contributors
- NWS Tampa Bay Area: Tampa Bay and Tarpon Springs hurricane of 1921
- National Hurricane Center: Hurricane Helene tropical cyclone report
- National Weather Service: Florida hazardous weather day by day
- NWS Tampa Bay Area: Thunderstorm climatology quick reference
- National Hurricane Center: Tropical cyclone climatology