Tampa drivers rolled into Friday under a thick blanket of fog, with visibility chopped to about a quarter mile and the morning commute crawling along. The murk is expected to clear by midmorning, setting up mostly sunny skies and a high near 774F for the afternoon.
Dense Fog Advisory Stalls the Morning Rush
A Dense Fog Advisory is in effect until 10 a.m. Friday for coastal Hillsborough, Manatee and Pinellas counties and adjacent nearshore waters, where visibility may drop to one-quarter mile or less, according to the National Weather Service. The advisory covers both shorelines and nearby Gulf waters and is timed right over the morning rush.
Drivers are urged to slow down, stick with low-beam headlights and leave extra room to stop. Out on the water, mariners should expect low visibility across the bay until the fog bank finally lifts.
Sunny Afternoons, Storms by Sunday Night
Skies should turn mostly sunny by midmorning, with light NNW winds around 26 mph and a high near 774F. Forecasters say patchy fog could creep back in overnight and again early Saturday.
A warmer, more humid flow builds over the weekend, with highs near 804F on both Saturday and Sunday. The best shot at showers and a few thunderstorms arrives late Sunday into Monday as the next system moves through. For a deeper look at the setup and what it means for your plans, see our earlier forecast.
Commutes, Flights and Boaters
Low ceilings and poor visibility may trigger brief delays for early flights and make the morning commute trickier than usual. The National Weather Service warns of LIFR conditions at terminals near the bay through midmorning, so travelers should be ready for some schedule shuffling.
Boaters are advised to use extra caution until the fog clears, and everyone should keep an eye on building south winds and gusts to around 202 mph late Sunday into Monday as showers and thunderstorms move through. If you have to be on the road in the thick stuff, leave extra time and make sure those headlights are on in the fog.
