Weekend Weather: What to Expect

Tampa Bay area residents looking forward to a weekend of sun and fun are likely to get it, but not without weathering a few storms first.

The National Weather Service has issued a beach hazards statement for Friday and a Hazardous Weather Outlook report as a cold front approaches the region. With a high chance for storms during the afternoon and evening hours, weather service forecasters say the potential for rip currents is present along beaches throughout the region until about 9 p.m. Friday.

Thunderstorms are also “expected across much of the area today as a cold front approaches,” the hazardous weather report states. Those storms could be strong, forecasters warn, and may produce “heavy downpours, dangerous lightning strikes, small hail and gusty winds of 40 to 50 mph.”

There is also a potential for severe thunderstorms Friday in the area around Interstate 4 to the south.

Boaters are also urged to exercise caution as the storms move through.

While part of Friday is expected to be a washout, forecasters say the rest of the weekend should shape up to be nice. Saturday’s forecast calls for sunny conditions and a high in the mid-60s and low around 50. Sunday brings slightly warmer temperatures with a high around 70 and a low in the mid-50s. Sunshine is expected to return that day, as well.

The workweek is expected to kick off with more sunshine and a gradual warming trend that will bring highs back up to the 80s around Tuesday.

For a complete look at the weather in your neighborhood, visit the National Weather Service online.

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