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

FLORIDA · TAMPA · NOVEMBER

Tampa’s November averages a high of 78.9°F at the airport gauge, and the rain nearly switches off: 1.40 inches for the whole month, against 2.34 in October. That means warm afternoons for the Riverwalk, cool mornings for a paddle on the Hillsborough River, and Gulf water off Tampa that still averages 74.2°F at its daily peak.

The calendar adds one caveat. The Atlantic hurricane season runs until November 30, so the month still sits inside the window, even though the season peaks on September 10 and does most of its work between mid-August and mid-October. Book with that in mind, and pack for both a dawn near 61°F and an afternoon near 79°F.

On this page

• Tampa weather in November78.9°F highs, 60.7°F lows, 2.3 rain days
• Can you swim in Tampa in November?The Gulf at 74.2°F and the Honeymoon Island swim area
• Tampa crowds and hotel taxes in NovemberThanksgiving week and the 6% county room tax
• Things to do in Tampa in NovemberHillsborough River, Weeki Wachee and the free streetcar
• Two days in Tampa in NovemberA river morning, the Riverwalk and a Gulf swim
• Tampa in October or December instead?How heat, rain and sea compare across the three months
• Is November a good time to visit Tampa?Yes for hikers and paddlers, less so for warm-water swimmers

Where to sleep, how to move between the bay and the beaches, and what a Florida week costs stay the same whatever the date, so they live in our where-to-stay guide, the getting-around guide and the Florida trip-cost breakdown. For the twelve-month view of the state, see the best time to visit Florida.

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

The normals below come from one thermometer: NOAA station USW00012842, listed by NCEI as “TAMPA INTL AP,” averaged over 1991–2020. They are official station normals, read off a real gauge rather than a reanalysis grid cell. The average November high is 78.9°F, the low 60.7°F, and precipitation totals 1.40 inches. The gauge stands at the airport, inland on the bay side, so a Gulf beach can run a little different from every figure here.

In an average November, 2.3 days log at least a tenth of an inch of rain, roughly one day in thirteen. A day with an inch or more turns up 0.4 times a month, so about two Novembers in five see one soaking day. On a four-night trip the odds favor a dry run, and a wet morning moves easily indoors to the Tampa Bay History Center or the Tampa Museum of Art.

Between the 60.7°F low and the 78.9°F high sits an 18.2-degree swing. Dawn on the river calls for a light fleece or long sleeves, and by early afternoon you are back in shorts. Pack layers you can tie around your waist, a swimsuit for the Gulf and a light rain shell for the odd wet day.

On November 15 Tampa gets about 10 hours 48 minutes of daylight. Sunrise comes at 6:50 a.m. and sunset at 5:38 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, so dinner happens after dark and a sunset walk along the water should start around 5 p.m.

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

Sea surface off Tampa averages 74.2°F in November, according to the Open-Meteo Marine API over 2015–2024. That figure is the mean of daily maxima, the warmest reading of each day, so it runs a shade warmer than a 24-hour average and warmer than the water at 8 a.m. Tables that average around the clock will give a lower figure for the same water.

Water in the mid-70s feels brisk on entry and comfortable after a minute of swimming, more so on a 78.9°F afternoon. Honeymoon Island State Park, on the Gulf northwest of Tampa, has a designated swimming area and 2,021 parking spaces. Swim in the early afternoon, when air and water sit near their daily peak, and keep a dry layer for the walk back after the 5:38 p.m. sunset.

We found no wind or wave data for November off Tampa, so we give no surf or chop forecast. Check the National Weather Service marine forecast the morning you go, and keep an eye on the tropics until the season closes on November 30.

How busy is Tampa in November? Crowds and prices

On the Florida calendar November opens the dry season, and it comes before the holiday weeks that our Florida orientation names as the state’s price peaks. Thanksgiving week is the one stretch of November in that holiday category. We found no hotel-rate or occupancy series for Tampa, so we crown no month cheap or expensive.

We have no booking-window data, so we give no week count. Tampa International boarded 12,075,591 passengers in 2024, enough for the FAA to class it a large hub, and our Florida flights guide covers the routes. Port Tampa Bay homeports eight ships from five cruise lines, so if you are sailing out, fly in the day before and reserve that night early.

Hillsborough County levies a 6.0% transient rental tax, filed and paid together with Florida’s 6% state sales tax, according to the Florida Department of Revenue. Together the two come to 12% on the room. We could not verify whether other local surcharges apply on top, so treat 12% as a floor when you compare quotes.

Pay extra for a refundable room rate. The hurricane season officially closes on November 30, and although most activity falls between mid-August and mid-October, a flexible booking lets you move the dates if a late storm forms before you fly. Storm planning is covered in our Florida safety guide.

Things to do in Tampa in November

November’s 78.9°F average high opens up what October’s 85.6°F makes hard: midday hiking and paddling without wet-season heat. With 2.3 rain days in an average month, a trail plan made on Monday stands a good chance of holding on Thursday.

Hillsborough River State Park is the largest of the river parks: the state counts 350 parking spaces, three canoe, kayak and tube launches and 5 miles of hiking trail. Little Manatee River State Park has the longest trails of the three, 8.4 miles, with 109 spaces and one launch. Alafia River State Park is smaller, with 50 spaces, one launch and 1.2 miles of trail. Ybor City Museum State Park has 311 feet of boardwalk in the old cigar district. Check each park’s entrance fees and opening hours before you drive.

Three spring parks sit within reach of Tampa: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, with 255 parking spaces and one designated swimming area, Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, with 197, and Crystal River Preserve State Park, with 77. Their water holds its temperature all year, while the air drops from October’s 85.6°F average high to 78.9°F and a 60.7°F dawn. Crystal River’s 77 spaces are the tightest count, so arrive early. Manatee trips are in our manatee guide.

The TECO Line Streetcar is free to ride, as HART and the City of Tampa both publish. It runs 2.7 miles from downtown through the Channel District to Ybor City, every 15 minutes. Downtown, the 2.6-mile Tampa Riverwalk links the Tampa Convention Center, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, the Tampa Museum of Art, the Glazer Children’s Museum, the Tampa Bay History Center, Amalie Arena and Water Works Park on one continuous path.

Tampa in November: a two-day itinerary

Day one. Reach Hillsborough River State Park soon after the 6:50 a.m. sunrise, fleece on for the low-60s start, and paddle from one of its three launches before the day warms (we could not verify on-site rentals, so arrange a boat ahead). Walk part of the 5 miles of trail by late morning. After lunch, head downtown and follow the Riverwalk from Water Works Park to the Tampa Museum of Art and the Tampa Bay History Center as the afternoon peaks near 79°F. Watch the 5:38 p.m. sunset over the river, then ride the free streetcar to Ybor City for dinner.

Day two. Drive northwest to Honeymoon Island State Park for a Gulf morning on its 1,671 feet of boardwalk, then swim in the designated area in the early afternoon, when the water sits near its 74.2°F daily peak. If the forecast turns, as it does on 2.3 days of an average November, stay in town: the Glazer Children’s Museum, the Tampa Museum of Art and the Tampa Bay History Center all sit on the Riverwalk. A HART bus ride costs $2.00 with a Flamingo Fares card, the app or a contactless card.

Tampa in November vs October and December

October averages 85.6°F highs and 69.2°F lows, November 78.9°F and 60.7°F, December 73.9°F and 55.9°F, all from the same NOAA airport normals. November is the driest of the three at 1.40 inches, against 2.34 in October and 2.56 in December, with 2.3 wet days against 4.4 and 3.6. At sea, the Open-Meteo Marine API puts the Gulf at 79.7°F in October, 74.2°F in November and 66.7°F in December, each a mean of daily maxima.

Go four weeks earlier and you gain water 5.5 degrees warmer, but you take 6.7 degrees of extra midday heat, nearly twice the rain days and dates closer to the mid-August to mid-October hurricane peak. Go four weeks later and the high drops 5.0 degrees, the sea falls 7.5 degrees into the mid-60s and you add 1.3 wet days, in exchange for dates past the November 30 end of hurricane season. Each month has its own page: Tampa in October and Tampa in December.

Is November a good time to visit Tampa?

Yes for hikers, paddlers, Riverwalk and museum visitors, and anyone flying in to sail from Port Tampa Bay: the air is mild, the rain is the lowest of the three months and mid-month brings about 10 hours 48 minutes of light. It is a closer call for swimmers who want warm water all day, because 74.2°F is a daily peak, and for travelers who will not book inside hurricane season, which runs to November 30.

If warm water decides it, pick October: 79.7°F at sea, with 85.6°F highs and 4.4 wet days as the trade-off. If heat is the problem, December runs 73.9°F highs and falls outside hurricane season, though the Gulf drops to 66.7°F.

Of the three months, November alone combines the least rain, 1.40 inches, with a Gulf still averaging 74.2°F at its daily peak.

The last word

November in Tampa is a month for doing things outdoors at every hour, as long as you dress for two seasons in one day. Book a refundable room, pack a fleece for the river at dawn and a swimsuit for Honeymoon Island at 2 p.m. If you lean on HART buses, there is no day pass to buy ahead: pay $2.00 twice with a Flamingo Fares card or a contactless card, and the $4.00 daily cap makes the rest of that service day free.

Sources & data, with the dates we checked them

• October, November and December air normals, precipitation and rain days · NOAA NCEI monthly normals 1991–2020, station USW00012842 (TAMPA INTL AP) · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Station identity and airport location · NOAA NCEI Search service · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Sea surface temperature, mean of daily maxima 2015–2024 · Open-Meteo Marine API · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Daylight, sunrise and sunset on Nov 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted from UTC to Eastern Standard Time · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Hurricane season dates and Sept 10 peak · NOAA National Hurricane Center · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Hillsborough County transient rental tax · Florida Department of Revenue, form DR-15TDT · checked Sep 24, 2026
• State park parking, launches, trails, boardwalks and swimming areas · Florida DEP Recreational Facilities Inventory, 2024 annual report · checked Sep 11 and Sep 22, 2026
• TPA passenger boardings, calendar year 2024 · Federal Aviation Administration · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Cruise homeport count · Port Tampa Bay, porttb.com · checked Sep 24, 2026
• TECO Line Streetcar fare, route and frequency · gohart.org and tampa.gov · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Tampa Riverwalk length and landmarks · tampa.gov · checked Sep 24, 2026
• HART fares and $4.00 daily cap · HART Flamingo Fares FAQ, gohart.org · checked Sep 24, 2026
• What we could not verify: park entrance fees and opening hours (operator pages refused machine reads or rendered only in a browser on Sep 11, 2026), hotel rates, occupancy, booking windows, local surcharges beyond the two taxes, and wind or wave data. We rank no month on price and forecast no surf.

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 October: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and Things to Do

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