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Cold, rainy weather will last another day or so

 
Overcast and cool conditions leave the beach on Pass-A-Grille almost empty Thursday morning.
Overcast and cool conditions leave the beach on Pass-A-Grille almost empty Thursday morning.
Published Jan. 30, 2014

Tampa Bay will be rainy, wet and chilly throughout Thursday as much of the country recovers from a week of winter storms.

A cold front moved through the area Tuesday night and brought a nearly 20-degree drop in high temperatures Wednesday.

"It's obviously not what we think of when we think of Florida," Bay News 9 meteorologist Juli Marquez said.

Wednesday's highs were in the 50s, and overnight temperatures dropped into the 40s in most areas. Wind and rain contributed to a gloomy day, and Thursday will bring more of the same.

"The winds are making it feel even colder this morning," Marquez said.

Temperatures were in the 40s for most of Tampa Bay about 7 a.m., but thanks to wind, Tampa felt like 38 degrees and Brooksville felt like 33 degrees, Marquez said. Highs will top out in the mid 50s and a 90 percent chance of rain will likely mean slick streets and more gray skies.

The cold snap here was a milder, less destructive version of the massive winter storm that crippled much of the South this week. Major road were shut down from Texas to Virginia, and many commuters were stranded on interstates or in businesses Tuesday night.

Snow and sleet have mostly moved out, but temperatures will remain below freezing in many areas today, meaning sheets of ice are unlikely to melt any time soon. Traffic woes caused by the foul weather touched Tampa Bay, too. At Tampa International Airport, 48 canceled flights and 87 delays averaging about an hour were reported by Wednesday afternoon.

The airport's website listed about 20 cancellations Thursday morning.

Things should start to look up by Friday. The rain chance that day is low, Marquez said, and temperatures should warm into the 70s ahead of a sunnier weekend.