Florida, 2004

Dense Fog in Florida, February 2, 2004

February 2, 2004 · NWS TBW · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Widespread fog reduced visibility to less than a quarter mile across parts of west central and southwest Florida. One indirect death was reported as a truck carrying 7,400 gallons of gasoline overturned on Interstate 75 near North Port in Sarasota County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.

Widespread fog reduced visibility to less than a quarter mile across parts of west central and southwest Florida. One indirect death was reported as a truck carrying 7,400 gallons of gasoline overturned on Interstate 75 near North Port in Sarasota County. The truck exploded into flames, killing the driver and destroying a southbound bridge of the Interstate.

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 1, 8:30 PM EST, 6 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 1, 8:30 PM EST, 6 hours 30 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
830 PM EST SUN FEB 1 2004

ISOLATED SHOWERS ENDING AND MOVING E OUT OF OUR AREA ATTM.
DRY UPPER AIRMASS OVER THE AREA AS SEEN IN WV SAT IMAGERY AND
EVENING SOUNDING. PWATS DOWN TO .88 BUT ALL MOISTURE UNDER 8K FT.
WEAK BOUNDARY OVER THE CENTRAL PENINSULA WITH WARM MOIST AIRMASS
SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY. SOME AREAS OF SEA FOG SEEN IN IR SAT IMAGERY
NEAR SHORE AND ALONG SW FL COAST. EXPECT AREAS OF FOG SOME LOCALLY
DENSE OVER NIGHT WITH CLEARING SKIES...LIGHT WINDS AND ABUNDANT LL
MOISTURE IN PLACE. EXPECTED TO UPDATE ZONES AND COASTALS TO REMOVE
EVENING SHOWERS AND MAY BULK UP FOG AND LOW CLOUD WORDING.

.TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
 NONE.

RD
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 1, 6:00 AM EST, 21 hours before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
600 AM EST SUN FEB 1 2004

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-011533-
CHARLOTTE-CITRUS-DE SOTO-HARDEE-HERNANDO-HIGHLANDS-HILLSBOROUGH-LEE-
LEVY-MANATEE-PASCO-PINELLAS-POLK-SARASOTA-SUMTER-
600 AM EST SUN FEB 1 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY:

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE WARM FRONT ACROSS
SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE LOW PRESSURE AREA IN THE GULF WILL CONTINUE
THIS MORNING...AND THEN DIMINISH THROUGH THE LATE MORNING AND EARLY
AFTERNOON AS THE WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH AND THE LOW MOVES NORTHEAST
ACROSS FLORIDA. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS WILL CAUSE REDUCED VISIBILITIES
AND PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS.

AREAS OF FOG WILL THEN DEVELOP LATE TONIGHT AS WINDS CALM AND SKIES
CLEAR. VISIBILITIES COULD REDUCE TO 1/4 MILE OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
DRIVERS SHOULD REDUCE SPEED ACCORDINGLY. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER
RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR POSSIBLE DENSE FOG ADVISORIES
LATE TONIGHT.

DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY:

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

&&

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW (LOWER CASE)

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, Sarasota

When
February 2, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
Sarasota forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Dense Fog, Charlotte

When
February 2, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
Charlotte forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Dense Fog, De Soto

When
February 2, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
De Soto forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
27.186, -81.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense Fog, Hillsborough

When
February 2, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
Hillsborough forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Dense Fog, Lee

When
February 2, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
Lee forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Dense Fog, Manatee

When
February 2, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
Manatee forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Dense Fog, Pinellas

When
February 2, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
Pinellas forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
27.903, -82.739 (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

More

Every storm in Florida in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, February 2004

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: 5382650, 5382651, 5382652, 5382653, 5382654, 5382655, 5382656.