Dense Fog in Florida, February 12, 2001

Name: Dense Fog in Florida, February 12, 2001
Start: 2001-02-12T06:00
End: 2001-02-12T09:00
Location: Florida

February 12, 2001 · NWS TBW · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

Patchy dense fog reduced visibility to less than one quarter mile over portions 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: 12

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.

Patchy dense fog reduced visibility to less than one quarter mile over portions 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 12, 2:30 AM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 12, 2:30 AM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
230 AM EST MON FEB 12 2001

UPPER LEVEL RIDGE REMAINS OVER THE AREA WITH SFC FRONT DRAPED ACROSS
THE PENINSULA. LOW STRATUS DEVELOPING OVER THE AREA AS EASTERLY FLOW
CONTINUES TO INCREASE MOISTURE OVER THE AREA WITH PWATS APPROACHING
1.5.

SFC FRONT TO SHIFT NWRD TODAY AS SFC LOW FORMS ALONG EXISTING FRONT
IN BAROCLINIC ZONE OFF THE N FL COAST THEN MOVE N/NEWARD THRU 48HRS.
AFTERNOON SEA BREEZE TO INTERACT WITH EASTERLY FLOW TO GENERATE
ISOLD/WDLY SCT LATE AFTN INTO EARLY EVENING SHOWERS OVER COASTAL COS
TODAY WITH BETTER CHANCE N CLOSER TO FRONTAL ZONE.

UPPER RIDGE TO HOLD STRONG OVER THE STATE THRU THU AND AMPLIFIES
AHEAD OF SHORTWAVE LATE IN THE WEEK. SHORTWAVE TO LIFT WELL N OF
THE AREA AS IN TRAVERSES RIDGE IN THE EXTENDED.  SFC HIGH RIDGING
FROM THE W ATL TO BUILD OVER THE STATE TUE THRU THU. NEXT FRONT TO
APPROACH THE AREA NEXT WEEKEND WITH ONLY SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SOME
SHOWERS OVER N CWA. WARM GUIDANCE TEMPS LOOKS REASONABLE WILL
BLEND.

MARINE:10 TO 15 KT WINDS AND 2 TO 3 FOOT SEAS OVER THE MARINE ATTM.
SFC RIDGING TO KEEP WINDS AND SEAS WITHIN THESE PARAMETERS THRU THE
WEEK.

.TBW...NONE.

TPA BB 083/064 083/064 --0
FMY BB 086/062 086/062 --0

RD

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 12, 5:00 AM EST, 1 hour before

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-121400-

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
500 AM EST MON FEB 12 2001

...PATCHY DENSE FOG OVER WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
   THIS MORNING...

LIGHT EAST WIND HAS COMBINED WITH ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TO
CREATE A MIX OF LOW CLOUDS AND PATCHY DENSE FOG ACROSS WEST CENTRAL
AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA THIS MORNING. FOG MAY REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO
ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS AND CAUSE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS.
MOTORIST ON THE MORNING COMMUTE SHOULD REDUCE SPEED AND USE LOW
BEAM HEADLIGHTS AS VISIBILITY CAN CHANGE RAPIDLY OVER SHORT
DISTANCES. THE FOG IS EXPECTED TO BURN OFF AND LIFT BY MID MORNING.

RD

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Citrus

When: February 12, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Citrus forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Charlotte

When: February 12, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Charlotte forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, De Soto

When: February 12, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 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 12, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 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 12, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Hernando forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Highlands

When: February 12, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 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, Lee

When: February 12, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Lee forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Pasco

When: February 12, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Pasco forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Pinellas

When: February 12, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 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 12, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 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 12, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Sarasota forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Sumter

When: February 12, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 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: 5235209, 5235210, 5235211, 5235212, 5235213, 5235214, 5235215, 5235216, 5235217, 5235218, 5235219, 5235220.