Located midway down Florida's west coast, about 25 miles east of the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa is bordered on the south and west by the Hillsborough and Old Tampa bays. Downtown is divided by the winding Hillsborough River, which originates northeast of the city and empties into Hillsborough Bay. The city's year-round semitropical climate is free from many of the extremes found elsewhere. Its most remarkable feature is the summer thunderstorm season. On an average of ninety days from June through September, late afternoon thundershowers sweep across the area, making Tampa one of the stormiest cities in the United States.
Area: 112.1 square miles (2000)
Elevation: Sea level to about 48 feet above sea level
Average Temperatures: January, 61.3° F; August, 82.7° F; annual average, 73.1° F
Average Annual Precipitation: 44.8 inches