Dense Fog in Florida, February 16, 2001

Name: Dense Fog in Florida, February 16, 2001
Start: 2001-02-16T06:00
End: 2001-02-16T09:00
Location: Florida

February 16, 2001 · NWS TBW · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Patchy dense fog reduced visibility to less than a quarter mile over portions of West Central and Southwest Florida.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: 7

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 a 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 16, 2:00 AM EST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 16, 2:00 AM EST, 4 hours before

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
200 AM EST FRI FEB 16 2001

CLEAR SKIES...CALM WINDS...AND DEWPOINTS RANGING FROM THE UPPER 50S N
TO THE MID 60S S OVER THE AREA PROVIDING GOOD SETUP FOR RADIATIONAL
FOG THIS MORNING. MIFG SEEN IN USUAL LOW LYING AND RURAL LOCATIONS.
UPPER RIDGE SLOWLY MOVING E AHEAD OF SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY IN THE S
PLAINS. WEAKENING SFC RIDGE FROM THE W ATLC OVER THE STATE TO PUSH
EASTWARD AS WELL. ETA/NGM SOLUTIONS SLOWER THAN PREVIOUS OUTPUT NOW
MORE IN LINE AVN/NOGAPS WITH SHORTWAVE DEAMPLIFYING AS IT MOVES OUT
OF S PLAINS TRAVERSING RIDGE INTO THE APPALACHIANS THEN OFF THE MID
ATLC COAST THRU SAT. UPPER SUPPORT CONTINUES TO WEAKEN WITH SHEARED
VORT LOBE/WEAKENING LIFT WITH SFC COLD FRONT OVER THE AREA SAT WITH
ONLY SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS N INTO C ZONES AND VERY WEAK FOR
POPS S. FRONT TO MAKE ITS WAY THRU N ZONES SAT MID MORN AND PASS S
OF THE AREA INTO SAT EVE. CLEARING AND DRYING BEHIND FRONT AS SFC
HIGH BUILDS SAT NIGHT/SUN DROPPING TEMPS TO AROUND SEASONAL NORMS
THRU TUE. ZONAL FLOW/POSSIBLE WEAK UPPER RIDGING FOR SLIGHT WARMING
WED/THU AS SFC RIDGE REMAINS OVER THE AREA.

MARINE:SW WINDS AND SEAS TO INCREASE AHEAD OF FRONT LATE TODAY AS
GRADIENT TIGHTENS. WIND SHIFT TO NW IN WAKE OF FRONT SAT AS SFC
HIGH BUILDS OVER THE GULF. RIDGE TO SHIFT E AND WEAKEN WITH
DECREASE IN WINDS AND SEAS MON/TUE.
Q
PRELIMINARY NUMBERS:
TPA BB 081/066 077/054 0020
FMY BB 084/065 081/060 00--

.TBW.. .NONE.

RD

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 16, 5:45 AM EST, 15 minutes before

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-161400-

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
545 AM EST FRI FEB 16 2001

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

RADIATIONAL COOLING COMBINED WITH ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE HAS
AGAIN CREATED AREAS OF FOG...SOME LOCALLY DENSE...OVER THE AREA THIS
MORNING. FOG MAY REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS IN
SOME LOCATIONS 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 TZO BURN OFF AND LIFT BY 10 AM.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Levy

When: February 16, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Levy forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Charlotte

When: February 16, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Charlotte forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Citrus

When: February 16, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Citrus forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Hernando

When: February 16, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Hernando forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Lee

When: February 16, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Lee forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Pasco

When: February 16, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Pasco forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Sumter

When: February 16, 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: 5235331, 5235332, 5235333, 5235334, 5235335, 5235336, 5235337.