While portions of the northeast are digging out of the weekend storm and parts of the Mid Atlantic are preparing for the next one, it looks like the Florida Gulf coast could see some of their own snowflakes too this weekend. But this will be a wintry weather event more for cameras than for snow shovels: while snow flakes may fly, they won’t stick and no accumulations are expected.
Seeing snow around this part of Florida is very rare. According to the National Weather Service office in Tampa, the last time this occurred was January 9, 2010.
Arctic air will usher in the coldest temperatures of the year this weekend setting the stage for the snow. A Freeze Watch has been issued for Saturday night into Sunday morning and the National Weather Service says Freeze Warnings will likely be needed for the area around Tampa Bay both Saturday night and Sunday night. A hard freeze will be possible across the nature coast Saturday night and Sunday night with lows in the lower to mid 20s each night. Temperatures across the interior are expected to be in the mid to upper 20s both nights with lower to mid 30s near the coast and across southwest Florida. Gusty northwest winds will create wind chills Saturday night in the teens across the Nature Coast with single digits possible mainly across Levy and Citrus counties. Wind chills are expected to be in the teens to lower 20s across the interior and generally in the 20s elsewhere. The wind is expected to taper off Sunday night, with wind chills generally about 3 to 5 degrees below the ambient temperature…