TAMPA, Fla. – Residents enjoying the mild start to the week should keep their umbrellas—and their winter coats—close at hand. The National Weather Service reports a turbulent shift is on the horizon for the Tampa Bay area, bringing a mix of rain, gusty winds, and a sharp drop in temperatures that could see the mercury dip near freezing by late Thursday.
For today, the region can expect a relatively calm but grey backdrop. Skies will remain mostly cloudy with a comfortable high near 70 degrees and a gentle north-northeast breeze. Conditions stay mild overnight with lows hovering around 54 degrees, offering little hint of the volatility approaching mid-week.
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The pattern begins to break down Wednesday. While the day starts mostly cloudy with a high near 67, a system moves in by evening. Forecasters predict a 20 percent chance of scattered showers during the day, spiking to a 70 percent likelihood overnight. The heaviest rain is expected after 1 a.m., likely impacting the early Thursday commute.
By Thursday morning, the wet weather will linger briefly with a 40 percent chance of showers before 1 p.m., but the bigger story will be the wind and the cold. As skies clear to partly sunny, northwest winds will kick up to 15 mph, with gusts reaching as high as 24 mph. This blustery flow will usher in a significant cold air mass.
Thursday night looks to be the coldest of the stretch. Once the clouds clear, temperatures are forecast to plummet to a low around 30 degrees.
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The chill will stick around for the end of the work week. Friday is slated to be sunny but crisp, with a high struggling to reach 57 degrees. The night will remain cold, dropping to around 36.
Looking ahead to the weekend, the sun returns in full force. Saturday warms up slightly to a pleasant 67 degrees before another cool front seemingly reinforces the chill, dropping Sunday’s high back to 62. By the time Martin Luther King Jr. Day arrives on Monday, the forecast calls for bright sunshine and a high near 59, making for a beautiful, albeit brisk, holiday.
Forecast Breakdown:
- Wednesday: High 67, rain likely overnight.
- Thursday: High 60, breezy, plunging to 30 at night.
- Friday: Sunny and cold, high 57.
- Weekend: Sunny, highs in the 60s, keeping nights chilly.
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