Updated

Tampa Bay and much of Florida endured an extended, oppressive heat wave through mid-to-late August, with the National Weather Service issuing near-daily Heat Advisories as feels-like temperatures repeatedly reached 108-112 degrees. A major heat dome pushed actual highs into the mid-to-upper 90s with scattered afternoon storms providing only brief, limited relief; rain chances gradually increased from around 10-20% early in the week to 40% by the weekend as tropical moisture returned. The heat intensified further when Miami reached an all-time record high of 100 degrees, tying a mark last hit in 1942, as heat alerts covered the entire state. Local governments and churches, including Vestal United Methodist Church, opened cooling centers to protect residents from the dangerous conditions.