Gasparilla forecast calls for a sunny, chilly and windy parade this year

TAMPA — It likely won’t be smooth sailing for Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla on Saturday morning.

Choppy waters and sustained winds of 15 mph are expected for Hillsborough Bay, which may make it a bit of a challenge for the famed pirate krewe to take over the city of Tampa, said Nicole Carlisle of the National Weather Service’s Ruskin office.

A bit of caution will help overcome the choppy waters, Carlisle said, for the flagship Jose Gasparilla and the hundreds of private vessels that traditionally join the flotilla.

Those on land won’t have much to worry about. Saturday is forecast to be chilly but sunny and pleasant for paradegoers.

Temperatures will be in the upper 40s and 50s, with the highs coming during the parade.

Tampa will be right around 46 as the flotilla heads into Hillsborough Bay around 11:30 a.m. for the pirate invasion.

The Parade of Pirates is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and run for approximately four hours, with more than 140 units rolling down Bay to Bay and Bayshore boulevards into downtown Tampa. The temperature will peak at 58 but will drop as the sun starts to set.

Jackets are a must, but you can safely leave your raincoats and ponchos at home. Carlisle said there is “practically no chance of rain” Saturday in Tampa.

“The rain from the new cold front will be all gone by Saturday,” Carlisle said. “All that will be left is the chilly temperatures.”