ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — You read that right — Tampa Bay is going to get a cold front ahead of Labor Day weekend. But it doesn't mean what you might think.
You're not going to need to layer up or dig in the back of your closet to unearth a jacket — this cold front isn't going to cause that much change in our temperatures. However, what this weather pattern will do is dry us out, meaning our rain chances will plummet.
This is due in part to how "unusual" this cold front is — it's called a "backdoor" cold front. Typically here in Florida, our cold fronts arrive in the fall and come in from the northwest. A “backdoor” cold front in Florida is one that comes in from the northeast.
This particular front will lower our dew points making it feel less humid. A side effect of lower dew points is that we can get lower overnight temperatures. Tampa and areas near water will only cool to the mid-70s each morning this weekend, but many areas away from the water will wake up in the low 70s.
This may not seem that cool, but the average low temperature this time of year in Tampa is 77 degrees and lately, we have seen temps in the morning closer to 80 degrees.
Here's what this means for your Labor Day weekend, from 10 Tampa Bay meteorologist Amanda Pappas:
Drier air will lead to our rain chances plummeting this weekend. We should have perfect conditions to travel or head out to the beach and boat this weekend. However, it's a good idea to check beach conditions after Hurricane Idalia as water quality results haven't been posted yet after the dangerous storm surge moved through the area.
The Tampa Bay area's lowest rain chances and the best day to be outdoors to (unofficially) close out summer will be Sunday, Sept. 3. On this day, our rain chances will only be at 10 percent.
Saturday won't be a washout, however, with only a 40 percent chance of a shower or storm. This means there will be plenty of sunshine to soak up — so be sure to reapply the sunscreen!
As for your weekend temperatures, we'll be in the low 90s for our highs and upper 70s for our lows. Plus, our dew points will also be lower, meaning the heat won't feel as intense.
