Fall in Tampa Bay: A Seasonal Guide for New Residents

Fall in Tampa Bay runs from the first cool front in mid October to the holiday boat parades in December, and it is the season most residents would tell you they moved here for. Highs drop from the mid 80s in October to the low 70s by December. Rain falls off. Hurricane season ends November 30. The Saturday Morning Market comes back on October 3, stone crab season opens October 15, and the calendar fills with festivals every weekend through the end of the year.

If you moved here this summer, this is your first fall, and it works differently than the one you left. There is no leaf season and no first frost. Instead there is a switch that flips sometime in October, when the humidity breaks and the whole region moves outdoors.

We are grateful to welcome new neighbors every year, and this guide covers what the weather does, what to do each month, where the markets are, and the home and yard tasks that keep a Florida house in good shape through the dry season.

What Is the Weather Like in the Fall?

October still feels like summer for the first two weeks. The first real cool front arrives in mid October on average, and the season changes for good in November. Here are the official normals for St. Petersburg and Tampa.

A few details matter more than the averages. St. Petersburg nights run 3 to 4 degrees warmer than Tampa because of the water on both sides. Tampa usually sees its first night below 60 around October 19 and its first below 50 around November 10. St. Pete waits until about October 30 and November 28 for the same. Gulf water holds near 80 degrees through October, drops to the low 70s in November, and reaches the mid 60s in December, so swimming lasts well into November most years.

Hurricane season ends November 30. Forecasters called for a below normal 2026 season, but October can still bring Gulf systems, so the after season roof check in the last section is worth doing every year.

What Happens in October?

October is when the outdoor calendar restarts. The markets return, the seafood festivals begin, and the first cool morning usually lands in the middle of the month.

• October 3: the Saturday Morning Market returns to the Al Lang Stadium lot in downtown St. Pete, Saturdays from 9 to 2 with more than 130 vendors. Taste of the Beaches begins the same day and runs through October 11, with $10 tickets good for one taste at more than 45 restaurants from St. Pete Beach north.
• October 4: the Kenwood Sunday Market returns to 2501 5th Avenue North, Sundays from 10 to 2.
• October 10 and 11: the Sponge Docks Craft Art Festival on Dodecanese Boulevard in Tarpon Springs.
• October 15: stone crab season opens statewide and runs through May 1. Recreational crabbers may keep one gallon of claws per person with a minimum claw size of 2 and seven eighths inches.
• October 15 to 18: the Clearwater Jazz Holiday at Coachman Park, with a ticketed main stage and free areas along the promenade.
• October 23 to 25: the John's Pass Seafood Festival in Madeira Beach, free, with trolley shuttles from three lots. Frenchy's Stone Crab Weekend runs the same weekend on Clearwater Beach and in Dunedin.

Sports return too. The Lightning open at home on October 3, and the Buccaneers host Green Bay on October 4 and Pittsburgh on October 18 at Raymond James Stadium.

What Happens in November?

November is the best month of the year outdoors in Tampa Bay. It is the driest of the fall months, the humidity is gone, and the water is still warm enough to swim on most days.

• November 14: Dunedin Wines the Blues in Pioneer Park on Main Street, from 2 until 10.
• November 19 to 22: Sanding Ovations, the master sand sculpting competition on Treasure Island beach at 10400 Gulf Boulevard, free, with an extra weekend November 28 and 29.
• November 20: Enchant Christmas opens at Tropicana Field with a light maze of four million lights, ice skating, and snow slides, running through December 27.
• November 21: the Dunedin Celtic Festival at Highlander Park from 11 to 7.
• November 30: hurricane season ends, and the Buccaneers host Carolina on Monday Night Football.

The Lightning play eight home games in November, the most of any month. Seasonal residents begin arriving after Halloween and in earnest after Thanksgiving, so beach parking and restaurant waits pick up from here through March.

What Happens in December?

December in Tampa Bay is boat parades, waterfront lights, and highs in the low 70s. Most towns on the water hold a lighted boat parade, and most fall on the second and third Saturdays of the month.

• December 12: lighted boat parades are planned in Clearwater, Tarpon Springs, Madeira Beach, Gulfport, and Apollo Beach. Confirm times with each city as the date nears.
• December 19: the Tampa Riverwalk Holiday Lighted Boat Parade starts near the Davis Islands lighthouse at 6:15 and passes Sparkman Wharf and the Convention Center. Treasure Island holds its parade the same night.
• Downtown St. Pete holds its own lighted boat parade and a Santa parade with a tree lighting in North Straub Park, along with holiday lights along the waterfront. The city posts the 2026 dates in the fall.
• Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park in Tampa usually opens the weekend before Thanksgiving with an ice rink, curling, and holiday shops.

Two dates to put on the calendar now for January. Tarpon Springs holds its Epiphany celebration on January 6 every year, with a procession from St. Nicholas Cathedral to Spring Bayou and the cross dive, followed by a festival. Gasparilla's Children's Parade is January 23, 2027, and the main Pirate Fest invasion and parade is January 30.

Where Are the Farmers Markets?

From October through May there is a market somewhere in Pinellas nearly every day of the week.

Where Should You Go Outside?

Fall is the season for the parks and islands, because the crowds are the lightest between October and early December and the weather is the best.

• Fort De Soto Park: open 7 in the morning to sunset, $6 parking, with a 236 site campground, the only beach dog park in the county, and ferries to Egmont Key and Shell Key.
• Honeymoon Island State Park: open 8 to sundown, $8 a vehicle, with a $4 sunset rate in the last hour. The Caladesi Island ferry leaves hourly from 10 for $20 round trip for adults and $10 for children, with a four hour stay.
• Weedon Island Preserve: more than four miles of boardwalk and trail on Tampa Bay, a fishing pier, and paddling trails with rentals on site.
• Brooker Creek Preserve and Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park: the two largest natural areas on the north side, with education centers, boardwalks, and miles of trail.

The fishing changes with the season too. Snook are open from September 1 through November 30 in the Tampa Bay region, and the cooler water brings redfish onto the flats and sheepshead to the docks.

What Should You Do in the Yard?

Fall is planting season in Central Florida, the opposite of the North. The University of Florida gardening calendar puts the vegetable garden and the flower beds back to work in October.

Planting by month

• October: plant broccoli, collards, kale, and lettuce. Direct sow carrots, beets, radish, beans, spinach, and peas around October 15. Set out dianthus, petunia, and pansy. Plant parsley, cilantro, chives, garlic, and sage.
• November: keep planting beets, cabbage, carrots, and lettuce. Add pansy, viola, and snapdragon. Put in onion sets the last week of the month. Divide perennials.
• December: plant celery, cauliflower, and cabbage, plus dill, fennel, and thyme. Get frost cloth ready for tender plants and compost the leaves.

The lawn

Early October is the last fertilizer application of the year for a Central Florida lawn. Use a high potassium blend, not weed and feed. Apply pre emergent when night temperatures settle into the 55 to 60 degree range. Watch St. Augustine grass for sod webworms in October and for large patch fungus once the nights cool. If you want new sod, lay it in early October so it roots before growth slows. If you want a green lawn in winter, overseed with ryegrass once highs are in the low to mid 70s.

Watering rules

The water management district's one day a week watering order for Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough runs through October 1, 2026, because rainfall over the past year was more than 15 inches below normal. Your day is set by the last digit of your address, and watering is allowed only before 4 in the morning or after 8 at night. Check your county's site in October for the schedule that follows, and reduce watering further in November and December as the grass slows.

What Should You Do Around the House?

The week after November 30 is the traditional time for the post storm season house check in Tampa Bay. Here is the list most longtime residents follow:

1. Walk the roof, or have it inspected. Look for lifted shingles, cracked tiles, and flashing that moved during the summer storms. Small fixes now prevent leaks in the June rains.
2. Clean the gutters and downspouts. Summer growth and oak leaves fill them, and the dry season is the time to clear them.
3. Service the air conditioner. It ran hard from May through October. Change the filter and have the system checked while the load is light.
4. Clean, label, and store the storm shutters. Service the generator and refresh the storm kit so next June takes ten minutes.
5. Trim trees away from the roof. Fall is a good pruning window for most Florida trees.
6. Adjust the pool. Run the pump six to eight hours a day, empty the skimmer baskets often during leaf drop, and watch the water level, since dry season evaporation takes an inch or two a week. Have the heater serviced before December.
7. Reset the irrigation timer. Follow the county schedule and cut run times as the weather cools.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does it cool off in Tampa Bay?

The first cool front usually arrives in mid October and lasts a day or two. Lasting cooler, drier weather arrives in November. Tampa's first night below 60 comes around October 19 on average, and St. Petersburg's around October 30.

Is fall a good time to visit or move to Tampa Bay?

Yes. October through early December has the lightest crowds of the year, the driest weather, and Gulf water warm enough to swim into November. Seasonal residents arrive in force after Thanksgiving.

When does hurricane season end?

November 30. October can still bring Gulf storms, and November is usually quiet. The first week of December is the traditional time to inspect the roof and store the shutters.

When does stone crab season start?

October 15, and it runs through May 1. Recreational crabbers may keep one gallon of claws per person or two gallons per boat, with a minimum claw length of 2 and seven eighths inches and up to five traps per person.

What can you plant in Florida in the fall?

Nearly everything a northern gardener plants in spring. Broccoli, kale, collards, lettuce, carrots, beets, and peas go in from mid October, along with pansies, petunias, snapdragons, and herbs such as parsley, cilantro, and garlic.

When should you fertilize a Florida lawn in the fall?

Early October is the last application for Central Florida, using a high potassium blend. After that, let the lawn slow down and reduce watering through November and December.

What are the biggest fall festivals near St. Pete?

Taste of the Beaches in early October, the Clearwater Jazz Holiday October 15 to 18, the John's Pass Seafood Festival and Frenchy's Stone Crab Weekend October 23 to 25, Dunedin Wines the Blues November 14, Sanding Ovations on Treasure Island November 19 to 22, and the lighted boat parades on December 12 and 19.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Fall is when Tampa Bay shows new residents why they came. The markets are open, the water is warm, the air is finally dry, and every waterfront town has a weekend on the calendar. We are honored to help families find their place in it, whether that is a bungalow near the Saturday Market, a home on a canal for the boat parade, or a quiet street in Odessa with room for a garden.

If you are thinking about buying or selling in St. Petersburg, Odessa, Starkey Ranch, or anywhere in Tampa Bay this season, reach out to Rocks Realty. We are grateful for the chance to help, and we would be glad to start with a conversation.