Warnings Go Up For Tampa Bay Area Waters

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Bay area beach lovers and boaters are being warned to take care on area waters as a cold front moves through the region. The National Weather Service in Ruskin is warning of the potential for increased rip current risks along area beaches and strong winds that could impact boaters.

The cold front that passes through on Thursday may also bring a few showers with it, forecasters say. Rain chances are strongest in the morning hours, but are expected to move out of the picture in the afternoon. The day’s high will still reach the mid- to upper 70s in much of the region with an overnight low around 50 degrees forecast.

Small craft operators are being warned that winds on local waters could reach about 20 knots. Those winds are expected to persist through the night. Hazardous boating conditions, the weather service said, should continue through early Friday, but diminish by the afternoon hours.

A rip current statement is also in effect through Friday morning. Swimmers are warned to “heed the advice of lifeguards, beach patrol, flags and signs,” according to the service’s Thursday Hazardous Weather Outlook report.

Thursday’s cold front is expected to bring cooler conditions into the region on Friday. A high in the low 70s is forecast for much of the Tampa Bay area with sunny skies expected. The overnight hours Friday are anticipated to be clear, which could make catching the evening’s celestial show a lot easier. To learn more about that, check out this story: Eclipse, Full Moon, Comet All Coming To Friday Night’s Sky.

For an extended forecast in your neighborhood, visit your local Patch’s homepage.

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