Good evening, Tampa Bay. We’re wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.

Your Weather Planner

It will be cool to start Friday with some patchy frost north of Tampa, but it will warm up to near 70 in the afternoon.

Expect partly sunny skies with winds turning out of the south. 

A cold front will approach the area late at night and a few isolated showers are possible.

Lows fall to near 50 at night, but much colder air comes in late Saturday. 

High: 69

Low: 51

Rain Coverage: 0%  

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Chilly Gasparilla

This weekend will be even colder than we’ve already seen this week.

Another cold front is on the way Saturday morning. This one will be even stronger than the last.

Expect a batch of fast-passing showers Saturday morning, followed by windy, cold conditions Saturday afternoon into Sunday.

Wind gusts could top 30 mph by midday Saturday during the time of the Gasparilla Invasion. For the parades from 2 to 6 p.m., winds could gust over 40 mph.

Read more about this chilly weekend ahead.

Today’s Big Stories

1. Bay area lawmakers weigh in on potential government shutdown
Another government shutdown is taking center stage in Washington.

2. St. Pete looks to give area under I-275 a major makeover
The city of St. Pete is helping construct a plan to transform the four-block area under I-275 near the heart of downtown.

3. More winter weather is possible in the Southeast this weekend
Another round of winter weather will be possible beginning late Friday through early Sunday in the Carolinas, Virginia and Georgia. With cold air locked in place, this will mainly be a snow event, with some light ice possible along coastal regions.

4. U.S. applications for jobless benefits, a proxy for layoffs, ticked down to 209,000 last week
U.S. applications for unemployment benefits inched down modestly last week, remaining at historically healthy levels despite recent high-profile layoff announcements.

5. Gulfport museum keeps its history, fills in holes
The city of Gulfport recently digitized the records at their history museum. The history museum hold stories, like how Gulfport wasn’t totally Gulfport at first.

 

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Your Notes for Tonight and Tomorrow

TAMPA TRAFFIC | The southbound lane of North Himes Avenue will be closed between West Minnehaha Street and West Lambright Avenue while the Tampa Water Department conducts maintenance on the water distribution system. Barricades and flaggers will be located in the area to assist with traffic flow. The completion of the work with a return to normal traffic patterns is expected by 4 p.m. tomorrow.

CAREER FAIR | Pinellas County is hosting a countywide career fair tomorrow from 1-4 p.m. at Florida Botanical Gardens (Magnolia Room), 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo. Hiring managers from Pinellas County Government, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and Pinellas County Schools will meet with candidates in-person, and candidates can also apply on the spot. Anyone looking for a new career or who is simply curious about working for Pinellas County can meet with hiring managers.

ATTRACTIONS | Busch Gardens Tampa Bay announced the lineup to its 2026 concert series, featuring an array of national headliners to nostalgic bands. View the full concert lineup.

National Notes

Friday, Jan. 30

Latest deadline for passage of new funding bill to avert U.S. Government shutdown
MusiCares Person of the Year gala honoring Mariah Carey
Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year award
Documentary about Melania Trump in the days leading up to Donald Trump’s inauguration released in theaters
Luigi Mangione in federal court, charged with killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO outside New York hotel 11am ET
‘Inside the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards’, backstage look at the lead up to the GRAMMY Awards (1 Feb), broadcast on CBS and Paramount+

Spectrum News was the first media organization allowed to bring cameras into Pole Star Defense’s mission operation center, which is manned 24-7, at the Hub in St. Petersburg (photo: Josh Rojas).

Working out of the Maritime Defense and Technology Hub in St. Petersburg, Pole Star Defense managing director Alex Field said the company is using innovative technology to track large cargo ships and oil tankers around the globe — including vessels trying to avoid detection.