Pasco to Open Cold Weather Shelters Tonight

Pasco County cold weather shelters are being opened Monday evening in anticipation of a plummet in temperatures that will create severe cold weather across the Nature Coast.

The shelters will also be open Tuesday night, according Pasco County Office of Emergency Management.

The National Weather Service’s Ruskin office forecasts that a cold, dry air mass ushered in by wind following Monday’s cold front will cause temperatures across Central Florida to plummet after sunset.

There will likely be sub-freezing temperatures across the Nature Coast Tuesday morning, and temperatures are expected to drop even more Tuesday night.

A hard freeze is expected Wednesday morning across most of West Central Florida.

The Office of Emergency Management said temperatures across Pasco County were expected to hold in the 30s overnight and continue in that range Tuesday night into Wednesday.  

Highs during the daylight hours Tuesday will reach the 40s and 50s, according to he National Weather Service.

“Children, the elderly and pets are especially vulnerable to the cold and extra care should be taken to protect them,” the office of Emergency Management stated in a release. “Make sure to bundle up and dress in layers to keep as warm as possible."

The county’s cold weather partners have been notified, according to the office.

Shelters open at 6 p.m.

They are:

• Hope Lutheran Church: 123221 Canton Ave. in Hudson. Families accepted. Call: 727-243-1367.
• The Holy Ground Shelter: 8835 Denton Ave. in Hudson. Families accepted.
• The Christian Church: 34921 Chauncy Road in Zephyrhills. Families accepted. Call: 813-810-8670.
• Impact Family Ministries: 5533 River Gulf Road in Port Richey. Families accepted. Call: 727-869-6426.