PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Sunshine Skyway Bridge was briefly closed on Saturday, Jan. 6 due to high winds, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
In a tweet sent around 10:15 a.m., the FHP says the Skyway Bridge was being closed due to "high winds with gusts to 60 mph." Once sustained winds reach 40 mph or higher, FHP troopers close the bridge.
There was no word on how long the Skyway Bridge was set to be closed, but in a tweet around 10:40 a.m., FHP troopers said, "Winds have decreased significantly. The #Skyway is OPEN."
The 10 Tampa Bay Weather team has been tracking a line of storms pushing through the area. While there are no severe weather threats currently, there is still a marginal risk (1 out of 5) that today's line of storms could produce an isolated severe storm or two.
The earlier the storms arrive, the less daytime heating we will endure, meaning less instability in our atmosphere to prompt severe weather. However, if the bulk of this energy slows down and arrives towards midday, we could see a slightly better chance for strong storms and damaging winds.
