The National Weather Service for the Tampa Bay area issues monthly summaries ranking temperature and rainfall throughout the region.
Figures like this are often used to discuss the changing climate.
But a closer look at the figures certainly raise questions. For instance, it was the second warmest April for Lakeland, whose records date to 1915, but the seventh warmest for Bartow, whose records date to 1892.
But when you look at the 10th warmest Aprils, the figures date from between 1929 and 2023 for Lakeland and 1908 (the warmest) and 2023 for Bartow. But the coldest Aprils range from 1915 to 2005 for Lakeland and from 1901 to 1987 for Bartow.
Figures for Winter Haven, whose records date only to 1941, show the 10 warmest Aprils occurred between 1945 and 2023 and its 10 coldest Aprils occurred between 1951 and 2005.
In Wauchula, whose records date to 1933, the warmest Aprils occurred between 1939 and 2023 and coolest between 1950 and 2007.
Rankings for rainfall didn’t come close to records at either end of the spectrum at those locations.