ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It didn't snow, but it definitely felt like winter Tuesday morning across the Tampa Bay area as temperatures dipped into the 30s.
One of the coldest temperatures observed in the region was in Crystal River, where temperatures bottomed out at 32 degrees — freezing. Many surrounding areas away from the water not only saw temperatures near freezing but woke up to a thin layer of frost.
Closer to Tampa Bay, temperatures were a little warmer, but still much colder than the normal low in the lower 50s. The temperature at the Tampa International Airport dropped to 42 degrees, which is not only the coldest of the season so far, but also the coldest since Feb. 4, 2021, when it was also 42 degrees.
The last time it was colder than Tuesday morning in Tampa was on Dec. 27, 2020, when the temperature was 39 degrees.
While it was a chilly start to the day, we were quite a ways off from the record low in Tampa of 29 degrees set in 1977. That said, cold is cold — and it was definitely a chilly start to the day.
Here are some other low temperatures from around the area:
- Tampa: 42°
- St. Petersburg: 43°
- Sarasota: 44°
- Clearwater: 41°
- Bartow: 41°
- Lakeland: 37°
- Plant City: 41°
- Brooksville: 37°
- Crystal River: 32°
- Homosassa: 30°
Temperatures Tuesday afternoon will warm into the middle 60s and then cool back into the 30s and 40s Wednesday morning. For those wishing for the warmth to return, you may not have to wait too long. By Wednesday afternoon, temperatures will be in the low-middle 70s.
That said, the warmth won't last too long as another storm system is expected to bring some rain and then another cooldown through the weekend and into next week.
