TAMPA, Fla. — All the debauchery and celebration scheduled for this weekend's annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival are set to be held under blue skies, though it'll be the landlubbers who have it best.
Clearing skies are forecast to kick off the day Saturday as pirates and swashbucklers-to-be crowd their way to Bayshore Boulevard and the downtown area. After high temperatures reach the mid to upper 60s Friday, it definitely won't feel as warm going into the weekend, however.
A much colder and drier air mass all the way from Canada will make an invasion of its own into the Tampa Bay area, which will help clear the sky but cause temperatures to struggle in the low 50s.
There will be a good amount of wind, too.
Breezy winds sustained around 25-30 mph will fall around 20-25 mph in the afternoon, creating rough waters on Tampa and Hillsborough bays. It may prove tricky at times for all the boats.
"As if the unseasonable chill wasn't enough of a shock to all Floridians this weekend, this Canadian airmass will also be driving in dry and gusty air into our region, which could lead to rough marine conditions for our bay and coastal waters on Saturday," 10 Tampa Bay Meteorologist Natalie Ferrari said.
It will be worth staying tuned to the forecast closer to the big day.
"There is still some time to iron out the specifics, but stay tuned to any marine advisories or warnings that may be issued this weekend," Ferrari added.
10 Tampa Bay has everything you need to know about Gasparilla from the parade route, where to park and more.