Cold Front To Bring Freezing Temps To FL In Winter Storm's Aftermath

A strong cold front is moving into Florida Monday after a winter storm system pummeled much of the U.S. over the weekend.

The colder air is expected to move into the Sunshine State by Monday night, bringing freezing temperatures to areas north of Tampa and Interstate 4 and low wind chills across the area, the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office posted to X.

Temperatures will range from 26 to 41 degrees across the Tampa Bay area with wind chills making temperatures feel like 18 to the low 20s over the Nature Coast counties and from the mid-20s to the mid-30s further south in the Tampa Bay region, forecasters said.

A freeze warning is in place for much of northern Florida, including Levy, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco and Sumter counties, according to the agency.

Freezing temperatures are forecast for multiple nights as far to the southeast as the north-central part of the Florida peninsula, AccuWeather reported. There’s also a potential for frost farther south and inland.

A cold weather advisory was issued for the rest of West Central Florida and Central Florida because of the expected wind chills.

Temperatures will range from 10 to nearly 20 degrees below normal in the greater Tampa Bay area and the cold weather is forecast to last through the rest of the week, NWS said.

“Alright folks, this is not a drill. We are entering multiple mornings in the 20s, 30s and 40s.
That means [two] things” — falling iguanas and a “snuggle alert,” Denis Phillips, chief meteorologist for Tampa Bay 28, wrote in a social media post, adding, “Highs stay below normal for over a week. Mornings feel downright ‘not Florida.’ Some models still hint at snow in the panhandle next weekend.”

Temperatures that drop to near or below freezing leave Florida iguanas and other nonnative reptiles cold-stunned.

“Cold-blooded friends may go temporarily stiff and drop from trees. They’re not gone… just rebooting,” Phillips wrote.

He offered the following advice for dealing with frozen iguanas: “Look up. Park smart. Don’t be the person who gets taken out by a frozen lizard.”

As for staying warm, “this is legitimate hoodie weather,” he wrote. “Blankets upgraded from ‘decorative’ to ‘essential.’ Pets will suddenly need to be directly on you at all times. Space heaters will be fighting for their lives.”

The extreme cold stretch comes on the heels of record high temperatures set in some parts of Florida over the weekend.

Tampa tied its daily record high for Jan. 24 on Saturday recording a temperature of 86 degrees, while Fort Myers set a new record for the day at 83 degrees, NWS said.

Check out the seven-day forecast for the Tampa Bay area from NWS:

• Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 35. North wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
• Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 56. Wind chill values as low as 28 early. North wind 7 to 9 mph.
• Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 34. North wind 3 to 6 mph.
• Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 59. Wind chill values as low as 29 early. North northeast wind 6 to 8 mph.
• Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 36. North northwest wind 3 to 6 mph.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 63. North northeast wind around 6 mph.
• Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40. North northeast wind 3 to 5 mph.
• Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Light and variable wind becoming north northwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning.
• Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. North wind 5 to 8 mph.
• Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52.
• Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 49.
• Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33.
• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 57.