Dense Fog in Florida, February 11, 2001

Name: Dense Fog in Florida, February 11, 2001
Start: 2001-02-11T06:00
End: 2001-02-11T09:30
Location: Florida

February 11, 2001 · NWS TBW · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

Widespread areas of dense fog reduced visibility to less than a quarter mile over most of West Central and Southwest Florida.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 15

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS TBW wrote it up.

Widespread areas of dense fog reduced visibility to less than a quarter mile over most of West Central and Southwest Florida.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tampa Bay, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 11, 3:48 AM EST, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 11, 3:48 AM EST, 2 hours 12 minutes before

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
345 PM EST SUN FEB 11 2001

THE 06Z SURFACE ANALYSIS INDICATED A DIFFUSE FRONTAL BOUNDARY ACROSS
NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA. SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATED MIXED BAG OF
CLOUDS AND VARYING VISIBILITIES OVER THE NORTH AND CENTRAL FORECAST
AREA EARLY THIS MORNING.

MODEL ANALYSIS CONTINUED OVERALL TREND OF MID-LEVEL ZONAL FLOW THE
FLORIDA PENINSULA THROUGH THE NEXT 48 TO 72 HOURS. 500 MB HIGH
PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD ACROSS FLORIDA AND THE GULF WATERS
THROUGH MID-WEEK.

HOWEVER...AT THE LOW LEVELS...MODELS HAVE WIDE RANGE OF SOLUTIONS
REGARDING THE PROGRESS...EVOLUTION AND AFFECTS OF DIFFUSE FRONTAL
BOUNDARY ON EXPECTED WEATHER CONDITIONS OVER WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA
FOR THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

THE CURRENT RUNS OF MESO-ETA...AVIATION AND NGM ALL OVER-PLAY
PRECIPITATION OUTPUT FOR THE 48 TO 60 HOUR FORECAST PERIOD OVER THE
WEST COAST OF FLORIDA.  HOWEVER...THE MESO-ETA AND AVIATION ARE
FAIRLY REASONABLE WITH THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY FIELDS OVER WEST
CENTRAL FLORIDA BASED ON CURRENT SKY CONDITION AND VISIBILITIES.

WILL MAINTAIN FORECAST CONTINUITY FROM PREVIOUS PACKAGE WITH SOME
MODIFICATION...MAINLY NORTHERN COUNTIES.  GENERAL TREND OF ABOVE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES...MINIMAL RAINFALL PROBABILITIES...HIGHER
SURFACE RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES AND OVERNIGHT FOG AND CEILING
LIKELIHOOD...WILL BE THE RULE OVER WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD.

TPA EB 078/062 082/063 1100
FMY BB 085/063 085/063 1101

.TBW...NONE.

ZALESKI

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 11, 6:00 AM EST, 0 minutes before

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-111700-

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
600 AM EST SUN FEB 11 2001

...PATCHY DENSE FOG OVER WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
   TONIGHT...

LIGHT WIND...FAVORABLE DEWPOINT TEMPERATURES AND MIXED CLOUD COVER
WILL ALLOW PATCHY DENSE FOG TO DEVELOP ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA LATE TONIGHT. FOG MAY REGDUCE VISIBILITIES TO ONE
QUARTER MILE OR LESS AND CAUSE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS...MAINLY
AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH SUNRISE ON MONDAY.

ZALESKI

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Levy

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Levy forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Charlotte

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Charlotte forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Citrus

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Citrus forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, De Soto

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: De Soto forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 27.186, -81.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Hardee

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Hardee forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 27.493, -81.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Hernando

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Hernando forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Highlands

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 27.343, -81.341 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Hillsborough

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Hillsborough forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Lee

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Lee forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Manatee

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Manatee forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Pasco

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Pasco forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Pinellas

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Pinellas forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 27.903, -82.739 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Polk

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Polk forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 27.949, -81.698 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Sarasota

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Sarasota forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Sumter

When: February 11, 6:00 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where: Sumter forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 28.705, -82.081 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Dense Fog: Fog reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less, filed where it caused accidents or disruption.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Florida in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, February 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5235194, 5235195, 5235196, 5235197, 5235198, 5235199, 5235200, 5235201, 5235202, 5235203, 5235204, 5235205, 5235206, 5235207, 5235208.