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Power outages and freezing temperatures greet Tampa Bay area residents

Freeze alert map
Justin Ballard
/
Florida Public Radio Emergency Network
Freeze alerts

Temperatures are expected to drop to freezing again Saturday night, and moderate during Christmas Day

More than 1,000 customers in Pinellas County were without power Saturday morning, as the frigid temperatures stressed power utilities.

Duke Energy reported more than 600 homes and businesses in the Largo and Pinellas Park area were without electricity. About 260 customers in Seminole were also without power. And around 200 customers were without electricity in northern Clearwater.

In Polk County, more than 240 customers were affected near Lake Pierce, 200 more east Lake Wales and 230 near Frostproof.

In Pasco County, about 75 homes were without power in New Port Richey and Holiday.

And more than 1,000 customers were affected in northern Citrus County.

In Hillsborough County, Tampa Electric reported about 1,600 customers were affected in scattered locations, with the most people impacted in rural southern Hillsborough.

A freeze warning remained in effect Saturday morning and will likely happen again Saturday night in the Tampa area, with locations north of Tampa under a hard freeze warning this weekend. The Florida Public Radio Emergency Network adds a wind chill advisory should end Saturday morning.

Temperatures were below freezing early Saturday morning in a wide stretch of West Central Florida, with lows in the low 30's in the entire region. Our high today should rise to about 47, with another cold night in story Saturday night. Things should start warming up on Christmas Day, with highs reaching into the upper 40's.

Map of Duke Energy power outages reported Saturday morning
Map of Duke Energy power outages reported Saturday morning

Steve Newborn is a WUSF reporter and producer at WUSF covering environmental issues and politics in the Tampa Bay area.
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