Cold Front To Arrive In FL By Thanksgiving Day: Forecasters

Florida weather has run the gamut in the week leading up to Thanksgiving.

Some areas saw record-high or near record-high temperatures — Tampa was just one degree shy of tying the record high of 86 degrees on Sunday, Denis Phillips, chief meteorologist for Tampa Bay 28, wrote in a Facebook post — and some areas, particularly in the Tampa Bay region, seeing dense fog Sunday and Monday mornings.

While the warm temperatures continued early this week, a big drop is expected ahead of Thursday as a cold front moves into Florida, forecasters said.

“Here's your weekly forecast. Sunny skies and warm today, then a low chance of a shower on Wednesday as a cold front moves through. Then a big cool down expected late Thursday through Saturday morning,” the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay posted to X on Tuesday.

Highs on Wednesday will range from 80 to 87 degrees across the region while lows could hit anywhere from 60 to 65 degrees, NWS said.

The day will start with patch early morning fog and will stay partly cloudy throughout the day, forecasters said. There’s a slight chance of a shower in northern parts of the Tampa Bay area.

“Enjoy the warmer weather now, it'll get cooler for Thanksgiving Day and Friday. The colder weather will only last [two] days,” Phillips wrote.

As the cold front moves in from the west, the region will see lows of 49 to 66 degrees and highs of 66 to 80 degrees on Thanksgiving, the agency said. The holiday will be partly cloudy, becoming breezy and turning less humid as the day goes on.

Friday will see an even bigger drop with lows in the area ranging from 36 to 52 degrees and highs of 61 to 72, NWS said. The day is expected to be mostly sunny, but cooler.

Saturday will also see lows of 37 to about 53 degrees, though it will warm up a bit with highs of 72 to 80 degrees, NWS said. The day will be mostly sunny and pleasant.

Further north in the state is expected to see even colder weather with freezing or near-freezing wind chills on Thanksgiving or Friday in some areas, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

The threat of storms on Thanksgiving and Friday are also greater in northwest Florida with the possibility for tornados to pop up those days, the Democrat said.