Nearly 70,000 fans braved almost freezing weather at Raymond James Stadium for Tampa Bay’s first outdoor NHL Stadium Series game.

Forecasters had said flurries overnight Saturday would have been Gulf effect snow, which occurs when there is much colder air over relatively warmer water. Water temperatures in the Gulf remain in the upper 50s, and this weekend, the air thousands of feet up was expected to be in the teens and 20s.

With tens of thousands of revelers expected to flood Bayshore Boulevard on Saturday, Gasparilla weekend is lining up to feel more like winter than a typical Tampa pirate invasion.

Tampa faces a windy and cold weekend with advisories, including wind gusts up to 40 mph, sub-freezing temperatures, and high coastal surf risks.

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In some areas, particularly north of Tampa Bay, forecasters expect dangerously cold wind chills in the single digits. At those temperatures, exposed skin could develop frostbite within 30 minutes. Temperatures as low as 20 degrees will likely lead to a hard freeze, forecasters said.

Tampa Bay's Anthony Cirelli suffered an injury and did not return for the third period in the Stadium Series game against the Bruins.

The NHL Stadium Series game between the Lightning and Bruins takes place this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa

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