TAMPA, Fla. — The Bay area will feel its coldest Christmas temperatures in decades this weekend as a strong cold front is bringing frigid air to the region.
Temperatures will quickly fall Friday afternoon and evening, with low temperatures on Saturday morning around the mid-30s for Tampa.
What You Need To Know
- Cold weather shelters set to be opened as Bay area braces for frigid temps
- FORECAST: Showers and storms ahead of cooler temps
- RELATED: Coldest Christmas in 27 years likely for Tampa
- Demand increases for warm clothing ahead of record cold spell
Conditions could be in the 20s on Saturday and Sunday morning in Citrus and Hernando counties. A freeze is likely for inland Hillsborough and Pasco Counties on both mornings.
The weather will prompt cold weather shelters being opened throughout the Bay area.
Hillsborough County
The county’s Cold Weather Shelter (CWS) Partnership plan will be utilized on nights when the temperature dips to 40 degrees or below, including wind chill between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Hyde Park United Methodist partnered with Hillsborough County to offer a cold weather shelter. They’ll transform their contemporary worship area into a shelter each night it’s open, and in order to do that, they need about 20 volunteers each day.
The church plans to open the cold weather shelter Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. For more information, click here.
Hillsborough County announces that cold weather shelters will be activated Friday, Saturday and Sunday, for the homeless and those who live in homes without adequate heat who are unable to find other accommodations.
The county is partnering with the following organizations to offer a limited-capacity cold weather shelter for adults. All shelters will take in guests from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. unless they reach capacity prior to that time, officials with the county said.
Amazing Love Ministries
3304 E. Columbus Dr., Tampa, FL 33602
Church of God of Prophecy Hyde Park
107 S. Oregon Ave., Tampa, FL 33606
Greater New Hope Church Anointed Ministries (Prayer Retreat Center)
2104 Mud Lake Rd., Plant City, FL 33566
Homeless Helping Homeless
801 E. Saint Clair St., Tampa, FL 33602
Homeless Helping Homeless
3008 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa, FL 33602
Hyde Park United Methodist Church (preferred media location)
500 W. Platt St., Tampa, FL 33606
New Life Church in Tampa (pet friendly)
8216 N. 13th St. Tampa, FL 33604
Tampa Bay Mission of Hope
212 St. Cloud Ave. Building A, Valrico, FL 33594
Metropolitan Ministries and Generations Renewed are supplying a limited number of single-night motel vouchers on a first-come, first-served basis for families with minor children, county officials said, adding that all congregate shelters are reserved for adults only. Pre-registration is required by calling the numbers below. Phone lines turn on at 9 a.m., and the deadline to call is 5 p.m.
- Families in Tampa call (813) 209-1176
- Families in Plant City call (813) 562-4495
Pinellas County
Cold Night Shelters are pop-up shelters operating through Pinellas County when the “feels like” temperature dips below 40 degrees between Nov. 15 and March 15. Open shelters will be listed when county officials announce them.
Shelters will be open from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. at the following locations:
- Boys & Girls Club of the Suncoast: 111 W Lime St., Tarpon Springs
- First United Methodist Church: 411 Turner St., Clearwater
- The Refuge Outreach Church: 606 Alden Ave., Clearwater
- Boys & Girls Club of the Suncoast: 7790 61st St. N, Pinellas Park
- Northwest Church: 6330 54th Ave. N, St. Petersburg
- WestCare Turning Point: 1810 5th Ave. N, St. Petersburg
- Unitarian Universalist Church: 100 Mirror Lake Dr. N, St. Petersburg
- The Salvation Army: 1400 4th St. S, St. Petersburg (open from 6 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.)
Manatee County
Manatee County's Emergency Management Division has coordinated with The Salvation Army to open cold weather shelter space at their Manatee County location: 1204 14th St. W., Bradenton. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and there will be space for an additional 50 people.
In addition to their daily sheltering program (with space for 60 individuals overnight) during regular and high temperatures, the Salvation Army provides cold weather shelter for Manatee County’s homeless. They monitor the weather for expected drops in temperature and prepare extra bedding to increase their sheltering capacity.
For more information about Manatee County Government, visit mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501.
Pasco County
Pasco County is opening cold weather sheltering on both sides of the county Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for those who need a warm place to spend the night. (Note: Transportation and meals are not provided.)
Officials with Pasco County say sheltering space is limited, and to make sheltering arrangements for any of the three nights, you must call the Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County at 727-842-8605, and select the “cold weather sheltering” option, extension 2, as follows:
- Thursday, Dec. 22: Until 8 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 23: Noon - 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 24: Noon - 8 p.m.
Mike Fasano Regional Hurricane Shelter located at 11611 Denton Avenue in Hudson
- Open 12/23 - 12/25 at 6pm each night
- Closes at 8 a.m. the following morning
- Transportation and meals are not provided
- Officials have now added Monday, 12/26, from 6 p.m. - 10 a.m.
Hernando County
Hernando County officials say that emergency management has coordinated with Jericho Road Ministries to make sure that those without access to heat have a safe place to stay beginning Friday until weather conditions improve.
Men’s Shelter
1090 Mondon Hill Road
Brooksville, FL 34605
Phone: (352) 799-2912 ext.103
Women’s Shelter (Mary’s House)
1163 Howell Avenue
Brooksville, FL 34601
Phone: (352) 799-2912 ext.109
Pinellas County opens cold weather shelters
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — With temperatures forecast to drop to levels where a coat and a blanket aren’t nearly enough to keep warm, Pinellas County is activating its Cold Night Shelters to get as many homeless people off the streets during this cold snap.
Shelters all over Pinellas County are trying to make extra space anywhere they can.
“During these cold weather events we can stage about 10 extra people in our sleeping area,” said St. Vincent de Paul Cares chief of staff Mark Cooper. “We can sleep around 50 in the main dining area, and then we have a women’s area where we can fit another 10 plus or minus a few during the cold weather event.”
But that’s still not nearly enough bed space at St. Vincent de Paul Cares to get everyone who needs shelter into one for this weekend. That’s where the Cold Night Shelter Alert opens up more buildings throughout the county to handle all the additional people who need shelter.
“If we look at historically, there are around 100 additional homeless people throughout Pinellas County,” said St. Vincent de Paul chief of homeless services Jana Balicki. “And we have shelters in Tarpon Springs, Clearwater, Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg.”
Balicki says as long as the weather stays cold, these extra shelters will stay open.
“So Friday is already scheduled to be open because of the weather and Saturday,” she said. “And Sunday, they still have not made that determination, but it looks like the weather will be around 34 degrees. If it hits anything below 40 is when they’ll open the cold weather shelters.”
If you’re in need of shelter and don’t know where to go, call 211 for details.