We’re deep into sweater weather territory here in Tampa Bay.

If you have more than one jacket in your closet, you’re going to need them for the unusual and prolonged cold snap that will be clutching the South for at least the next week.

A series of cold fronts will march across Tampa Bay over the next several days, likely leading to the coldest day of the season on Sunday, when wind chills are expected to plunge into the low 20s and even the low teens along the Nature Coast.

West-central Florida likely won’t reach 70 degrees for the foreseeable future, with long-range forecasts showing the wintry weather could stick around well into February.

There’s even a slight chance of flurries near Tampa Bay Saturday night, one local meteorologist said.

“This could be the coldest temperature seen in several years for some places and the longest duration of cold in several decades,” the National Weather Service wrote on social media.

Here’s what to know as Tampa Bay trudges through this long, cold spell.

The serious cold snap snarling the nation is likely to continue for the eastern half of the U.S. this weekend along with more record-breaking lows, even in Florida, the weather service said.

Deep into the morning on Tuesday, the mercury remained in the 30s in parts of Tampa Bay, with bone-chilling winds making conditions feel even more bitter.

Much of inland Tampa Bay remains under a freeze warning through Wednesday morning, while coastal areas are under a cold weather advisory during the same time.

The fiercest cold will pull back by the end of the work week, when highs will rebound into the mid-to-upper 60s and lows will be in the 40s.

But another cold front will push into the area Friday night and Saturday morning, bringing a chance of rain and wind, the weather service said.

Those attending the Gasparilla Parade on Saturday will, if they’re lucky, see temperatures in the mid-50s.

Jeff Berardelli, chief meteorologist for WFLA News Channel 8in Tampa Bay, called the spell “one of the coldest patterns I can remember for the Deep South and Florida” in a post to X on Tuesday.

Berardelli also wrote that there will be a small chance of flurries near Tampa Bay Saturday night.

“I’ll be honest, model support is modest at best, but the meteorology says it’s possible,” Berardelli wrote.

For the flurries to occur, the water temperature would have to be much warmer than the atmosphere, along with other meteorological ingredients coming together.

“If snow flurries happen it will be very close to the coast,” Berardelli said.

By Sunday morning, forecasters expect wind chills to drop into the 20s near Tampa Bay. North of the region, wind chills could fall into the low teens.

The high on Sunday may be in the 40s, and the lows will likely dip to freezing in Tampa, which may be just about perfect for the outdoor Stadium Series hockey game at Raymond James Stadium Sunday night.

The deep chill is likely to stick around late into next week.

“It looks like, as far out as the forecast models I have … it looks like we may warm up next Thursday for just a brief period,” said Rodney Wynn, a weather service meteorologist in Tampa Bay.

“Then we have another cold front that’s going to move through,” Wynn said.

The prolonged cold may seem unusual, but longer cold spells have gripped parts of Tampa Bay before.

In 2010, for example, the lows fell below 40 degrees for four days straight in St. Petersburg.

In Ruskin that year, the low plummeted below 40 for 12 days in a row.

The Climate Prediction Center shows that temperatures in most of Florida are likely to remain below average through at least the first week of February.

In February, the average high in Tampa is around 74 degrees, and the low runs about 55 degrees.

The globe is currently in a La Niña phase, which typically means a warmer, drier winter in Florida. Despite the extreme cold, Tampa is still experiencing a slightly above-average winter, thanks to several periods of intense warmth.

Last weekend, for example, Tampa and other spots logged record heat.

But after this week, the average is sure to plunge.

“Just prepare for some freezing temperatures for the next, I would say, week,” Wynn said. “We are in the heart of winter right now.”

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