Cold Snap To Last Through Saturday

The Nature Coast will be engulfed by a cold, dry air mass tonight that will cause sub-freezing temperatures each night through Saturday.
A hard freeze warning is in effect from 1 to 8 a.m. Thursday for Hernando County. A freeze watch will be issued Thursday night and will last through Friday morning, according to AccuWeather.com.
Local temperatures are expected to drop soon after sunset, fall below freezing before midnight and drop down to the low 20s by early Thursday, according to TBO.com.
The forecast has lows in the 20s for Hernando County during the next three nights.
The cold weather will affect the entire region, with freeze warnings in effect for Pasco, Polk and Hillsborough counties.
A freeze watch is issued when there is a potential of a widespread freeze within 24 to 48 hours. During the freeze period, temperatures could remain below freezing for more than eight hours.
In addition to the frigid temperatures, the National Weather Service also has issued a red flag warning for the Tampa area from 1 to 6 p.m. today.
A fire weather watch also is in effect Thursday afternoon due to the long durations of low humidity.
Such a watch is issued when humidity levels drop below 35 percent for a period of time and the conditions are favorable for the spread of wildfire.
A red flag warning is designed to inform fire crews and land management agencies that conditions are susceptible to fires.