Fog Reduces Visibility On Tampa Bay, Central Florida Roads To 1/2 Mile

FLORIDA — The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay has issued a special statement warning Thanksgiving travelers to be aware of fog that has reduced visibility on highways and local roads to less than a half mile.

Patchy dense fog is affecting Citrus, Highlands, Sumter, Pasco, Hernando, Levy, Hardee, Manatee, Hillsborough, Polk, Desoto and eastern Sarasota counties.

Satellite imagery and surface observations indicate fog is reducing visibilities to half a mile or less at times in some spots.

In January 2008, a heavy fog combined with smoke from a prescribed burn reduced the visibility on Interstate 4 in Polk County to less than half a mile, causing one of the largest crashes in state history.

Traffic that reduced speeds when visibility diminished were struck from being by vehicles that continued driving the speed limit, causing a chain reaction pileup involving more than 70 cars and trucks, some of which burst into flames, killing five people and causing 38 injuries.

Locations impacted include Tampa, Spring Hill, Lakeland, North Port, Plant City, Winter Haven, Temple Terrace, Haines City, Bartow, New Port Richey, Lake Wales, Auburndale, Zephyrhills, Sebring, Avon Park, Brooksville, Arcadia, Inverness, Wildwood and Dade City.

Drivers should be prepared for sudden changes in visibility. Use low-beam headlights, reduce your speed, and maintain a safe distance between your vehicle and the one ahead of you.