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 another warm day for Friday with highs in the mid 80s.
Expect mostly sunny to partly sunny skies.
Winds will be out of the east with a light sea breeze in the afternoon.
We will see a small chance of a stray afternoon shower, but most stay dry.
Lows fall to the mid to upper 60s at night.
Highs: 85
Lows: 66
Rain Coverage: 10%
Check your hour-by-hour forecast here | Share your weather photos
Today’s Big Stories
1. 2 indicted after explosive found at MacDill Air Force Base
A federal grand jury has indicted two people after an explosive device was found earlier this month outside the visitor’s center at MacDill Air Force Base.
2. Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights 2026 tickets now on sale
Universal Orlando announced that select tickets and upgrades for Halloween Horror Nights are available for purchase. Attractions Insider has more.
3. Here’s how to watch Rays’ games this season
The question most asked leading up to Thursday’s season opening game is “How do I watch the Rays on TV?”
4. Iran and U.S. harden their positions as Tehran keeps grip on Strait of Hormuz
Iran and the United States appeared at an impasse Thursday, with each side hardening its position over talks and setting the stage for another potential escalation in the Middle East war. Thousands more U.S. troops neared the region, Israel poured more troops into southern Lebanon to fight the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, and Tehran tightened its grip on the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
5. Hillsborough’s school zone speed violations top 100,000
Hillsborough County’s school zone speed camera program has hit a new milestone: Over 100,000 tickets since the new initiative launched at the beginning of the school year.
6. Growth rate slowed in U.S. metro areas in 2025, with steepest drops along the southern border
Growth rates in U.S. metro areas dropped the steepest in communities along the U.S.-Mexico border last year because of declines in immigrants while counties along Florida’s Gulf Coast lost residents because of a series of hurricanes, according to new population estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Your Notes for Tonight and Tomorrow
ATTRACTIONS | Disney World’s 2026 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is in full bloom. The vibrant festival runs through June 1. Attendees can enjoy character-themed topiaries, live entertainment and garden-inspired food and beverages at the popular event.
SUGAR SAND FESTIVAL | Clearwater Beach’s signature sand sculpting celebration, the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival, returns tomorrow through April 12 with a massive sand sculpture exhibit, live entertainment, free beach concerts and fireworks. Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday to Saturday. Watch our On The Town preview.
RAYS UPCOMING GAMES | The Tampa Bay Rays, who opened their regular season Thursday at the St. Louis Cardinals, will be off tomorrow before the teams resume their series Saturday, with first pitch at 2:15 p.m. Sunday’s finale also starts at 2:15 p.m. The Rays then visit the Milwaukee Brewers for a three-game series that starts Monday.
National Notes
Friday, March 27
NCAA Women’s March Madness Sweet 16 round
Phil Yeh, volunteer at The Dancing Goat, a non-profit dairy farm in the Tampa area, feeds 18-day day old Donatella the goat. Yeh has been volunteering here for three years. Photo by Virginia Johnson/Staff
A Tampa nonprofit dairy farm is looking for a few good goat nannies.
If you are at least 15-years-old, you can become a goat nanny, learning how to feed and care for a baby kid in the first months of its life.
The babies are coming to the The Dancing Goat, a nonprofit dairy farm in the urban Tampa Bay area.