Tampa in February: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and Things to Do

FLORIDA · TAMPA · FEBRUARY

Tampa in February brings mild afternoons, cool mornings and almost no frost. NOAA’s airport station logs 0.1 nights at or below 32°F in an average February, which works out to about one freezing night in ten Februaries. The Atlantic hurricane season, June 1 to November 30 according to the National Hurricane Center, is still months away. For a winter trip, that leaves two things to plan for: a jacket for dinner and an indoor backup for the odd wet afternoon.

You have already picked Tampa, so the useful question is about the date. You want to know what February gives you, what it holds back, and whether moving to January or March would change the trip. In short, the air suits walking and paddling. The Gulf is cool for swimmers. Four weeks later, the water warms faster than any other number in the forecast.

On this page

• Tampa weather in February74.0°F highs, 55.5°F lows, 3.6 rain days
• Can you swim in Tampa in February?The Gulf at 66.6°F in daily maxima
• Crowds and hotel booking in FebruaryHillsborough’s 6% rental tax and when to book
• Things to do in Tampa in FebruaryRiverwalk, Ybor City, Hillsborough River State Park
• Two-day Tampa itinerary for FebruaryTwo days planned around a 6:21 pm sunset
• Tampa in February vs January or MarchHighs, rain days and sea for all three months
• Is February a good time to visit Tampa?Who should go, and who should wait for March

Some decisions stay the same whatever the month, so our Florida guides handle them: where to stay, getting around and what a trip costs. Flying in is easy. Tampa International (TPA) boarded 12,075,591 passengers in calendar year 2024, and the FAA classes it as a large hub. Routes and fares are in our Florida flights guide.

Tampa weather in February: average highs, lows and rain days

The figures come from NOAA’s 1991–2020 monthly normals for station USW00012842, a real thermometer at Tampa International Airport. They are station readings, not a reanalysis grid cell. February averages a high of 74.0°F, a low of 55.5°F and 2.62 inches of precipitation. The gauge sits inland on the bay side, well away from any beach. Read every figure here as airport weather, and expect a Gulf beach with a breeze to feel a little different.

An average February has 3.6 days with at least 0.10 inch of rain. That is measurable rain on roughly one day in eight. A true downpour of an inch or more happens on 0.8 day, so most Februaries get about one. In practice, you lose an afternoon rather than a week. Keep one indoor plan ready, such as the Tampa Bay History Center or the Tampa Museum of Art on the Riverwalk, and move it to whichever day the forecast turns.

The average gap between the high and the low is 18.5°F. Shorts work at 2 pm, but a 55.5°F morning on the water does not. Pack a fleece or light jacket, long pants for evenings, and closed shoes for trails. Frost is rare enough that a heavy coat is dead weight. Only one February night in ten, on average, reaches freezing.

February 15 gets about 11 hours 15 minutes of daylight. The sun rises at 7:06 am and sets at 6:21 pm Eastern Standard Time, from sunrise-sunset.org figures converted from UTC. Plan outdoor time before about 5:30 pm, and schedule a paddle or a trail walk for the morning, once the air has warmed off the low.

Can you swim in Tampa in February? Sea temperature and what it feels like

The sea surface off Tampa averages 66.6°F in February, according to the Open-Meteo Marine API over 2015–2024. That figure is a mean of daily maxima, the warmest reading of each day. It runs a shade warmer than a 24-hour average would. It also comes from a different source and period than NOAA’s air normals, so compare it with other sea tables with that in mind.

For most swimmers, water in the mid-60s is bracing. Expect a quick dip and a fast exit, with little lingering. Children tire of it quickly. Anyone planning to snorkel or swim laps should bring a wetsuit or pick a heated hotel pool. Wading and beach walking are pleasant, especially with a 74.0°F average afternoon on the sand.

We found no wind or wave data for February off Tampa, so we give no figure for chop or swell. Check the National Weather Service marine forecast the evening before a beach or paddle day. A breezy afternoon will make 66.6°F water feel colder than the number suggests.

How busy is Tampa in February? Crowds and prices

February falls inside Florida’s dry season and outside the hurricane season, the two calendar facts our Florida timing guide builds on. We found no hotel occupancy or monthly rate series for Tampa, so we don’t label February cheap or expensive. What the calendar does show is March approaching, and March is when spring break reaches the Florida beach towns.

Tampa is a cruise homeport. Port Tampa Bay homeports eight vessels from five cruise lines, and passengers fly in to board rather than stopping for a day. Before booking downtown or Channel District rooms, check the port’s sailing calendar for your dates. We’d hold a refundable room four to six weeks out (est.), and earlier for a weekend that lines up with a departure.

Hillsborough County charges a 6.0% transient rental tax, filed and paid together with Florida’s 6% state sales tax, according to the Florida Department of Revenue. On every $100 of room rate, that adds $6 for the county and $6 for the state. Resort fees and parking come on top, and our trip-cost guide covers them.

A heated pool is the one extra that changes a February stay. With the Gulf at 66.6°F even in daily maxima, a heated pool is where most swimming happens this month. Ask the hotel for the pool’s set temperature before you pay extra for a pool view.

Things to do in Tampa in February

February lets you spend a whole afternoon outdoors on foot or in a canoe. With an average high of 74.0°F, a 2 pm walk is comfortable. By contrast, the wet season brings 90-degree heat and daily storms to Florida. The trails and paddle launches around Tampa suit this month, and mornings start at 55.5°F, which is also good hiking weather.

The Tampa Riverwalk runs 2.6 miles along the Hillsborough River. It links Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, the Tampa Museum of Art, the Glazer Children’s Museum, the Tampa Bay History Center and Water Works Park. Hillsborough River State Park has 350 parking spaces, three canoe, kayak and tube launches, and 5 miles of trail. Little Manatee River State Park has 8.4 miles of trail and 109 spaces. Ybor City Museum State Park has 311 feet of boardwalk. Check each park’s entrance fees and hours before you drive.

Three spring parks are within reach: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park (255 spaces and one designated swimming area), Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park (197) and Crystal River Preserve State Park (77). Spring water holds the same temperature all year, but the air does not. On a 55.5°F February morning, the gap between water and air is what you feel. Our manatee guide covers the Crystal River side.

The TECO Line Streetcar is free to ride, according to both HART and the City of Tampa. It runs 2.7 miles from downtown through the Channel District to Ybor City, every 15 minutes. It gets you to Ybor for the afternoon and back after the 6:21 pm sunset without parking a car.

Tampa in February: a two-day itinerary

Day one, downtown. Start mid-morning, once the air has warmed off the 55.5°F low. Walk the Riverwalk north from Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park to Water Works Park and back, then spend the midday hours inside the Tampa Museum of Art. Around 3 pm, take the free streetcar to Ybor City and walk the 311-foot boardwalk at the museum state park. Sunset is at 6:21 pm. Have dinner in Ybor, carry a jacket for the ride back, and catch a car that comes every 15 minutes.

Day two, the river. Drive to Hillsborough River State Park for a morning paddle from one of its three launches, then walk part of its 5 miles of trail. If the day lands on one of February’s 3.6 rain days, stay in town instead. Do the Tampa Bay History Center or the Glazer Children’s Museum, and get around by HART bus at $2.00 a ride. The day is capped at $4.00, so after two boardings every ride is free.

Tampa in February vs January and March

The air warms steadily across the three months. January averages 71.3°F highs, February 74.0°F and March 77.8°F, all from the same NOAA station and 1991–2020 period. Lows rise from 52.8°F to 55.5°F to 59.3°F. Rainfall barely changes, at 2.65, 2.62 and 2.52 inches, but rain days drop from 4.4 in January to 3.6 in February. The sea changes most. It rises 3.6°F from January to February, then 7.3°F more into March, reaching 73.9°F on the Open-Meteo Marine daily-maxima series.

Moving four weeks later to March gets you a Gulf that most swimmers will enjoy, plus 3.8°F more in the afternoon. You give up the quieter pre-spring-break calendar. Moving four weeks earlier to January costs you almost one extra rain day on average, cooler 52.8°F mornings and a 63.0°F sea. For walking and paddling, the difference is small.

Is February a good time to visit Tampa?

Yes, for city walkers, paddlers, museum-goers and anyone flying in to board a ship. A 74.0°F average afternoon and 3.6 rain days make outdoor plans reliable. No, for a family whose vacation depends on long Gulf swims. The sea’s 66.6°F daily-maxima average keeps most swimmers in heated pools.

If swimming comes first, pick March. Its sea surface averages 73.9°F on the same Open-Meteo series, and its rain days fall to 3.4. Book that trip earlier than a February one and expect spring break company on the beaches.

February is the last month before the Gulf’s 7.3°F March jump, and its rain days (3.6) already sit much closer to March’s 3.4 than to January’s 4.4.

The last word

Pick February for the air and plan any swimming around a pool. Pack a layer for the 6:21 pm sunset, ride the free streetcar, and give one morning to the river. If you still want a Gulf beach, drive northwest to Honeymoon Island State Park. The state counts 2,021 parking spaces there, one designated swimming area and 1,671 feet of boardwalk, enough for a winter beach walk even if you only wade.

Sources & data for this guide

• February normals (74.0°F / 55.5°F, 2.62 in, rain, 1-inch and frost days) · NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 monthly normals, station USW00012842, Tampa International Airport · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Station identity and siting, inland on the bay side · NOAA NCEI Search service · checked Sep 24, 2026
• January and March normals · NOAA NCEI, same station and period · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Sea surface 63.0 / 66.6 / 73.9°F, mean of daily maxima · Open-Meteo Marine API, 2015–2024 · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Daylight, sunrise and sunset on Feb 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted from UTC to Eastern Standard Time · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Hurricane season · NOAA National Hurricane Center · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Hillsborough County transient rental tax · Florida Department of Revenue, form DR-15TDT · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Park parking, launches, trails, boardwalks and swimming areas · Florida DEP Recreational Facilities Inventory, 2024 report · checked Sep 11 and Sep 22, 2026
• Riverwalk length and stops · City of Tampa · TECO Line Streetcar and HART Flamingo Fares · gohart.org and tampa.gov · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Cruise homeport, eight vessels, five lines · Port Tampa Bay · checked Sep 24, 2026
• TPA boardings, calendar year 2024 · Federal Aviation Administration · checked Sep 24, 2026
• What we could not verify: park entrance fees and opening hours (operator pages refused machine reads on Sep 11, 2026), wind and wave data off Tampa, and any hotel rate or occupancy series. The booking window is our editorial estimate.

To plan your stay

• Things to Do in Tampa: The 2.6-Mile Riverwalk, Ybor City and the Free Streetcar
• Tampa vs Orlando: Weather, Lodging Tax, Bus Fares and Which to Choose
• Best Time to Visit Tampa: Month-by-Month Weather, Sea Temperature and the Quiet Weeks
• Tampa in January: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and Prices

Nearby places

• Busch Gardens Tampa: Coasters, the Zoo and the Seasonal Calendar
• Clearwater Travel Guide: Three Island Beaches, PIE Airport and the 12% Hotel Tax
• Weeki Wachee Springs: Mermaids, the Swim Area and 255 Parking Spaces