A winter storm forecast to impact the U.S. Southeast this weekend could bring something Tampa hasn’t seen in a long time: snow flurries.
As National Weather Service forecasts grow more confident about the storm’s reach, most of the higher snowfall totals are still expected along the Eastern Seaboard — especially in the Carolinas. But one coastal Tampa forecast area has also popped up with a small chance of snow impacts.
“Holy cow This has to be a first!! I was checking on the impacts of the SE Coast Blizzard, and noticed that #Tampa Bay has been highlighted in NOAA’s Winter Storm Severity Index for a ‘small’ chance of #snow impacts. So, yes, I’m saying there’s a chance,” WFLA-TV chief meteorologist Jeff Berardelli posted on X on Wednesday.
The last time snow flurries were reported in Tampa was January 9, 2010, according to Newsweek, citing NWS meteorologist Tony Hurt.
Hurt said there is a 10% to 20% chance flurries could return overnight Saturday into early Sunday. If they materialize, they would likely be limited to areas near the coast as moisture moves inland from the Gulf. He also warned conditions will be “very breezy” this weekend.
Elsewhere in Florida, snow chances aren’t limited to Tampa. The best chance in the state is expected in Jacksonville.
The storm is also expected to bring a sharp cold snap. Wind chills could dip into the single digits across northern parts of the state, while temperatures could approach freezing as far south as Miami.
Forecasters say cold-weather advisories are likely for South Florida, with the possibility of extreme cold warnings farther north. As of Wednesday afternoon, freeze warnings and cold-weather advisories were already in effect across much of the state.
In a freeze warning, the NWS office in Tampa Bay urged residents to take precautions while outdoors, wear appropriate cold-weather clothing, and bring pets inside when possible. The NWS office in Melbourne issued similar guidance, warning prolonged exposure could lead to hypothermia, and that frost and freezes could harm crops, sensitive plants, and potentially unprotected outdoor plumbing.
Looking beyond the weekend, the NWS Climate Prediction Center expects temperatures to remain below average across the eastern third of the U.S. through February 7 — with the highest odds of colder-than-average conditions concentrated along the Eastern Seaboard, including Florida.
