Forecast: Cold front to carry overnight thunderstorms through Tampa Bay

A dangerous winter storm system is threatening the upper Midwest with bouts of sleet and snow. A cold front pushing out from that storm will carry strong showers all the way down the Florida peninsula, according to the National Weather Service.

Folks in Tampa Bay won't begin to see these showers until tonight, but expect to hear heavy rain and perhaps some thunderstorms overnight into Wednesday, forecasters said.

As for Tuesday, expect clear skies and temperatures in the upper 70s in the afternoon, with some some cloud cover forming in the evening.

That storm should pass over Tampa Bay and head south by early afternoon, leading to temperatures that will settle around the low to mid 70s, forecasters said.

Marginal risk for severe weather tonight, March 6th-7th.
What: Isolated damaging wind gusts or isolated brief tornado. The overall coverage of any severe weather is expected to be low.
Where: Coastal portions of the West Central FL.
When: Tonight into early Wed morning #flwx pic.twitter.com/k6lghODprq

Weather conditions Wednesday through Friday are looking favorable for folks interested in watching the Valspar Golf Championship this week. Tiger Woods and Co. can expect some slight cloud cover and temperatures sticking around a cool upper 60s to low 70s.

But as Tampa Bay approaches the weekend, the chance of rain increases to around 60 percent due to another cold front approaching from the Northeast. Some strong storms and perhaps thunderstorms could spread across the Tampa Bay, forecasters said. Anyone planning on spending their weekend at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg may want to bring a raincoat.

In what could be some relief for folks suffering through the high pollen count, the rain will hopefully help take some of those agitating agents out of the air, forecasters said.