Pre-Christmas Storm To Bring Cold Blast To Tampa Bay

FLORIDA — Forecasters are calling for an Arctic blast to sweep across the country leading up to the long Christmas weekend, making the Tampa region shiver with wind chills that will make it feel like the upper 20s on Christmas Day.

For Christmas Eve on Saturday and Christmas Day on Sunday, Tampa area residents should expect dry weather, but cold conditions. High temperatures will only reach the low 50s, with lows expected in the mid- to upper-30s Friday and Saturday nights, the National Weather Service said.

Florida will not set records for a frigid Christmas, but forecasters are expecting that weekend to be unusually cold throughout the state.

The coldest Christmas Day in Tampa was recorded in 1983, when the morning low was 20 degrees and the city also set a record cool afternoon with a high of only 38, WFLA reported.

Northern Florida cities such as Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Pensacola have predicted lows in the 20s on Christmas Eve, with highs of about 40.

“We’re looking at much-below normal temperatures, potentially record-low temperatures leading up to the Christmas holiday,” Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the Associated Press.

Two cold fronts will pass through the Tampa Bay area this week. The first front will bring rain and some thunderstorms Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, but not cold air, WFLA reported.

High temperatures will remain in the low-mid 70s through Thursday.

The second cold front moves into the Tampa region Thursday night. Rain chances increase late Thursday, and showers continue into Friday. Parts of the deep South may get snowfall from this front.

"Coldest Christmas in 20 years is on the way. A "Snuggle Alert" WATCH is in effect," tweeted WFTS chief meteorologist Denis Philips on Monday.

Meteorologists at AccuWeather said that at this time, travel conditions for Tampa and Orlando are good on Thursday and Friday, although road and air travel in the central and mid-Atlantic states may be a mess with snow and ice predicted.

"The exact track of the storm will dictate which areas receive heavy snow versus heavy rain and the most significant impacts, but people and businesses in the eastern U.S., especially those traveling, should be extra alert and frequently check AccuWeather forecasts this week to stay updated on expected impacts," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said in a statement Monday.

A massive winter storm is expected to form over the Rockies and upper Plains states over the next two days, with blizzard conditions for millions of people. Holiday travel will begin to feel the effects, and flight delays are likely to ripple out away from the storm as Wednesday turns into Thursday.

Here's the latest National Weather Service forecast for Tampa Bay for Christmas week:

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 73. East northeast wind around 8 mph.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. East northeast wind around 6 mph.

Tuesday: A slight chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. East northeast wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 1am, then a chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 61. East northeast wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73. Northeast wind around 7 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. East wind 3 to 6 mph.

Thursday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming south southwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 71. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 9 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.

Christmas Day: Partly sunny, with a high near 53.