Polar Vortex Could Bring Snow To FL

FLORIDA — Meteorologists are eyeing a winter weather threat that could bring “a wintry mix” to parts of north Florida next week, followed by a polar vortex blast of cold air, the National Weather Service.

NWS forecasters in Mobile wrote in a post to X, formerly Twitter, that residents in northern Florida should prepare for the “very cold weather” now. “Protect people, plants, pets and pipes.”

Multiple storms are brewing for many areas of the U.S. — from parts of the Midwest to the Appalachians and the Atlantic Seaboard — that could cause snowy and icy conditions that affect millions across much of the country, AccuWeather said.

As two storms move out on Monday, “moisture will linger near the Gulf of Mexico. That moisture may coalesce into a new storm that could track northeastward into the Arctic air,” according to AccuWeather forecasters.

They added, “The track and intensity of that storm will determine if heavy snow or significant ice occurs in parts of the Southern states in the early and middle part of next week and if some accumulating snow can reach into the mid-Atlantic and New England in the middle to the latter part of next week.”

This leaves many wondering: what exactly does this mean for Florida?

While “it’s simply too soon to talk about any specifics,” the NWS in Mobile is watching two scenarios that might unfold Tuesday and Wednesday in parts of the Florida Panhandle, according to the agency’s post to X.

In the first scenario, a low-pressure system develops over the central Gulf and tracks east across the Florida peninsula, bringing a “greater potential for a wintry mix” in the Southeast and in northern areas of the Sunshine State, a graphic shared by the NWS shows.

The second scenario shows lower chances of a low developing, and if it does, it will develop across the far southern Gulf. This means “dry but bitter cold” weather for northern Florida, forecasters said.

“With cold temps in place, there's a track-dependent, non-zero chance for wintry precip,” the NWS in Tallahassee wrote in a Wednesday evening post to X.

While “wintry precipitation (is) still on the table," the Tallahassee office said it has “low confidence” that this scenario will play out, in a Thursday morning weather update posted to X.

“Regardless of the winter weather threat, it will turn very cold for early next week,” the agency’s Mobile office noted in its post.

Here's the latest Tampa weather forecast from the National Weather Service:

Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. East northeast wind 5 to 7 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Calm wind.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. Light and variable wind becoming east northeast around 6 mph in the morning.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph after midnight.

Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. South southwest wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.

Saturday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 65. South southwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Sunday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. High near 71. West southwest wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. North northwest wind 6 to 8 mph.

M.L.King Day: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. North wind 8 to 10 mph.

Monday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.

Tuesday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 59. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Tuesday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.

Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 62.