TAMPA, Fla. – If you stepped outside early Thursday morning, you likely noticed the damp pavement and a biting chill that felt more like the Carolinas than the Gulf Coast. A band of showers moved through the area before 8:00 AM, leaving behind a thick layer of clouds and a brisk west-northwest wind.
While the rain chance sits at 60%, the actual accumulation is expected to be minimal—likely less than a tenth of an inch—serving mostly as a nuisance for the morning commute. The real story today is the temperature, which is struggling to climb toward a modest high of 58°F, especially with gusts reaching up to 21 mph making it feel significantly cooler.
The thermometer is set to take a serious dive tonight as skies clear out. Residents should prepare for a low of 37°F, a temperature that will certainly have local gardeners reaching for the frost blankets. By Friday morning, the sunshine returns in full force, but the early hours will be deceivingly cold; light winds combined with the overnight drop will produce wind chill values as low as 35°F…