TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — On Tuesday morning, Tampa never dropped below 84 degrees. That ties for the second warmest start to a day on record at Tampa Airport. What’s worse… the heat index never dropped below 96.

Tuesday’s morning low of 84 degrees broke the daily record warmest minimum temperature of 82 set just two years ago in 2023. But it fell short of the warmest morning in Tampa Bay history of 85 degrees.

Tampa dropped to 85 twice and 84 four other times. So Tuesday morning is part of a very exclusive club.

In the short term, the excessively warm start was due to extra humidity and clouds from a blob of tropical moisture moving in.

But in the longer term, there is a real trend of warmer mornings in Tampa and all across the U.S. This is due to climate change, both from heat-trapping greenhouse gas build up (from the burning of fossil fuels) and also urban heat island effect from growing infrastructure.

Since 1970, Tampa mornings have warmed by 4.2 degrees.

Climate change is having a very big impact on mornings. In fact, 84% of Tampa’s warmest July mornings have occurred since the year 2000. That’s remarkable considering Tampa has been keeping records back to 1890.

The two graphics below illustrate the extent to which climate change is making nighttime temperatures warmer, both in Tampa and across the whole U.S.