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Temperatures In Low 30s Forecast For Thursday

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 28, 2007

TAMPA - It looks like 2007 will depart on a warm note and the new year begin with a chilly blast.

Forecasters are looking at a serious flood of cold air that could drive temperatures Thursday morning down to freezing in eastern Hillsborough County and into the lower 30s in Tampa.

Couple the temperatures with a light breeze and the wind chill could be as low as 25 degrees in Tampa and drop to the teens in Hernando County, where the morning low could dip to the middle 20s.

"It's definitely the coldest air of the season," said John McMichael, National Weather Service meteorologist in Ruskin.

This will come after a weekend of near beach-weather conditions, with highs Saturday and into Monday in the upper 70s or lower 80s.

The mass of cold now is over the northern Plains and is expected to reach Florida Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Its arrival will bring a chance of rain and a chilly day Wednesday, with the highs around 50 – nearly a 30-degree swing from the weekend.

The frigid air will pour in Wednesday night.

"It will be cold air coming down the peninsula," McMichael said.

A weaker front will arrive Sunday with a small boost to rain chances and a possibility of thunderstorms. But it won't drop temperatures much.

If the forecast holds, December's warm weather will continue through New Year's Eve. So far, the average temperature in Tampa this month is about 4 degrees above normal.

Forecasters don't expect the severe cold to linger, and temperatures on Friday afternoon could be up to the high 60s, close to normal for early January.

Things could change between now and Wednesday night, which is about the end of the weather service's forecast period.

However, each forecast update since Thursday has called for even lower temperatures. On Thursday, the forecast was projecting low 40s around Tampa Bay and upper 30s in Brooksville.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.

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