If you like trying to breath in 100 degree jello,
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9/21/2009
When it comes to weather and comfort, Plant City is in a word God-awful, unless you have a high tolerance for heat and humidity. Though nearby Tampa/St. Pete may be in the high 80's to low 90's they are cooled by surrounding waters of the gulf and Tampa Bay. Plant City, being inland and having a lot of open land, gets no cooling effect. So if you are looking at the weather channel or another news source that says Tampa has a high of 92, you can figure that mean Plant City is having a high of 97 or even 100. This weather pattern (over 90 degree temps) starts as early as March, tho more commonly at the end of April and lasts till at least mid October. Dew points during that time range from about 72 to 77, or in another term, imagine trying to walk and breath in 100 degree jello. It is that kind of unpleasant. There is no "dry heat" here so even if your acclimated to the western heat, you will not acclimate easily here. As Plant City is located near what is called the "seabreeze boundry" if you are lucky, you will get a T-Storm in the afternoon or eve. to cool it down a bit. But Plant City is also located in the i-4 lightening corridor, so just when it's cool enough to go outside, it usually isnt safe to do so. May people every year are stuck by lightening before or after they think a storm has passed. You cannot leave dogs or rabbits outside during the day as the heat will kill them and equestrian activites are only done in the very early am hours or late late at night due to the heat. Power outages are frequent due to storms, and as most of the area is rural, service by TECO is slow to restore power, so its always best to have a generator and back up window a/c unit. There is lot of mud and moskitos as well during the wet months as well, and green algea grows freely on houses and any water bowls or troughs outside for pet or livestock. The good news, albeit slight, is the winters are pleasant...highs in the mid 70's and lows in the 40's with cooler snaps, including freezing temps. There is usually a light breeze and the dew points can go into the 20's, so its very dry.Again the Tampa/St. Pete area is kept warmer in the winter by the water, so if the weather channel or any other source is calling for low of 40 there, you can expect about 33 in Plant City. There are only 2 seasons-the first one we call summer and is, I cannot stress this enough, ungodly hot, and then there is winter, our short lived very pleasant cooler season. There is no change of leaves, we go from green to brown with green, then briefly to a "spring green" on the oaks, which shed pollen profusely for about 2 months, so if you are sensitive, and most people become sensitive after living here, you have to hide inside even tho the weather is still pleasant as green dust coats EVERYTING. Also we are not protected from hurricanes and have and will suffer the effects. The 04 canes caused extensive damage, despite our inland location, including roof damage, and MANY MANY trees and power lines snapped and down. And I will say it again, when the power goes out in Plant City (unless you live in the City proper next to the Hospital) you can plan on being (in a hurricane or tropical storm situation) out of power for up to 2 weeks, with no ice or gas nearby. So to live here in anywhere further than a mile or 2 from town proper, you must be prepared for the storms.
Abhd | Plant City, FL