Brisk but pleasant mornings have greeted Tampa Bay residents of late, but meteorologists say bitterly cold weather is likely late this week.
Over the weekend, a cold front dropped temperatures after an unseasonably warm stretch of weather. And late on Wednesday, another cold front — this one stronger — will likely usher in the coldest weather of the season.
The cold front overnight Wednesday also will bring achance of rain, said Nicole Carlisle, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office, though likely no more than a half-inch.
Cold fronts often push wet weather ahead of them, so the lack of a soaking rain isn’t great news for Tampa Bay, which ended 2025 in a rainfall deficit. In 2025, annual precipitation fell about 8 inches short of typical rainfall amounts in Tampa.
The weather service expects temperatures to plunge Thursday after the front moves through, though the coldest period of the week will be Friday morning.
Inland areas of west-central Florida could dip below freezing, and even coastal areas could flirt with near-freezing temperatures. Daytime temperatures are likely to only reach the upper 50s.
“The more widespread areas of freezing temperatures are more inland, away from the coast,” Carlisle said.
The weather service had not implemented cold-weather advisories as of Tuesday afternoon. Carlisle said those would likely come closer to the expected frigid weather.
The chilly and dry air will wane over the weekend, when highs will rebound into the mid-60s and lows will stay in the 40s and 50s.
But soon after, yet another cold front will tumble through Tampa Bay, leading to lows in the upper 30s in inland areas and upper 40s near the coast on Monday.
“The temperatures are similar to the lows for Friday … maybe a few degrees warmer,” Carlisle said. “So less chance of a freeze.”
Cold fronts like these are typical for the Tampa Bay area in January, Carlisle said. Weather service data shows that the average high temperature is around 71 and the average low is around 53 in Tampa.
Seasonal outlooks from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show Florida is likely to experience above-normal temperatures and drier-than-normal weather over the next three months.
For now, Carlisle advised residents to bundle up when outside and to bring pets inside during the freezing temperatures.
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