Cold front

The front will allow for powerful storms to develop over the weekend.

The best chance of rain across the greater Tampa Bay region is Saturday afternoon.

Additional counties were added Saturday afternoon to winter alerts issued by the National Weather Service including: Citrus, Hernando, Interior Pasco, Interior Hernando, Interior Hillsborough, Polk, Hardee, De Soto and Highlands.

Another cold front is expected to arrive on Thursday. Strong thunderstorms could cause damage across the Panhandle, then on Friday a cold airmass should engulf most of the state.

Research suggests cold-stunned iguanas falling from trees in Florida could be rarer in the future — both due to climbing global temperatures from unchecked climate change and a shift in cold hardiness in the lizards.

A cloud cover helped protect citrus trees in areas where the thermometer hovered around or below freezing.

Temperatures are expected to drop to freezing again Saturday night, and moderate during Christmas Day

Counties are opening emergency shelters as forecasters project temperatures to drop near or below freezing over the holiday weekend.

Central Florida could see freezing temperatures just north of the Tampa and Orlando by Friday.

The National Weather Service confirms the EF-1 tornado touched down around noon near Pasadena ahead of a cold front that will drop temperatures Friday and into the weekend.

Storms are forecast to spread into the central Peninsula mid to late morning on Thursday and stick around most of the afternoon.

A powerful low pressure system is forecast to bring all threats of severe weather to the Sunshine State Wednesday into Thursday.