Dense Fog in Florida, February 26, 2001

Name: Dense Fog in Florida, February 26, 2001
Start: 2001-02-26T06:00
End: 2001-02-26T08:30
Location: Florida

February 26, 2001 · NWS TBW · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

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

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 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 26, 3:25 AM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 26, 3:25 AM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes before

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA  RUSKIN FL
325 AM EST MON FEB 26 2001

"MAY IN FEBRUARY" STORY TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE SHORT TERM...WITH
WARM HUMID CONDS AND ISOLD/SCT LATE AFTN/EVE SHOWERS EACH DAY...
MAINLY INLAND.  AS THE WEEK PROGRESSES...EVENTUAL H50 HEIGHT FALLS
WILL INCREASE SFC RH EVEN MORE AS INCREASING SW FLOW SETS UP SHOP IN
THE LOWER LEVELS.

MODELS ARE IN DECENT AGREEMENT WITH THE LARGE SCALE FEATURES ONCE
AGAIN THIS MORNING.  AS FOR THE DETAILS...THE NGM/AVN ARE SIMILAR IN
PUSHING THE "BRIDGED" EAST FLOW INTO THE N 2/3 OF THE CWFA TONIGHT
AND EARLY TUE.  HOWEVER...WITH UPPER MICRO RIDGE AXIS SCOOTING E
LATER TUE...THIS FLOW SHOULD DAMPEN OUT SIMILAR TO THE ETA SOLN.
FAVOR THE NGM/AVN THROUGH TONIGHT...THE ETA ON TUE.

SHORT TERM:
NO REASON TO GET CUTE WITH THIS PACKAGE.  ETA'S SOLN OF AFTN HEAT
TROUGH OVER THE CENTRAL PENIN...WITH WCSB/ECSB COLLISION...FAVORS
SCT SHOWERS INTERIOR COUNTIES EACH DAY...BECOMING MORE ISOLD AS ONE
MOVES INTO THE WCSB NEAR THE COAST.  ETA SOUNDINGS REVEALED HEALTHY
LI'S OF -4 TO -5...WITH MODIFIED VALUES NEAR -6 AND CAPE APPROACHING
2000 J/KG...SUPPORTING THE LATE AFTN/EVE PCPN.

ANY EVE PCPN WILL END QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY P/CLOUDY.  PATCHY GROUND
FOG OCCURRING THIS MORNING...AND EXPECT MORE OF THE SAME TUE MORNING.
MEAN FLOW TURNING TO SSW WED MORNING MAY ENHANCE THE FOG...BUT
TEMPS/DWPTS ABOVE THE TYPICAL CRITERIA.

EXTENDED:  AVN/MRF SHOW INCREASING W FLOW WED/THU SHOULD ALLOW
ENHANCED WCSB TO DOMINATE...PUSHING ANY CONVERGENCE TOWARD THE E
COAST.  00Z NOGAPS WANTS TO PUSH FRONT THROUGH ON THURS...BUT
PERSISTENCE AND OTHER MODELS (UKMET) DON'T SUPPORT SOLN.

MRF EASES ANABATIC FRONT...AND POSSIBLE PCPN...INTO CWFA SAT AND SUN
WITH DEVELOPING ERN GULF LOW.  DEFINITELY TOO SOON TO BUY OFF GIVEN
MRF'S DAYS 6+ TRACK RECORD THIS PAST WEEK...SO WILL LEAVE DAYS 6/7
ALONE AND LET AFTN SHIFT REEVALUATE.

MARINE:  QUIET THROUGH THURS...THEN INCREASING SW FLOW AHEAD OF
FRONT.

FIRE WX:  NO PROBLEMS ANTICIPATED.

PRELIM NUMBERS:
TPA BB 082/065/082/065 2222
FMY BB 086/063/086/063 2222 88

.TBW...NDONE.

GOLDSMITH

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 26, 5:15 AM EST, 45 minutes before

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-261300-

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
515 AM EST MON FEB 26 2001

NO HATZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED TODAY.

BSG

Event by event

2 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Charlotte

When: February 26, 6:00 AM EST to 8:30 AM EST
Where: Charlotte forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Dense Fog, Lee

When: February 26, 6:00 AM EST to 8:30 AM EST
Where: Lee forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

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: 5235347, 5235348.