Thick fog cuddled the Tampa Bay area this morning, descending upon the few unfortunate commuters as they began their solemn trek to work.
The National Weather Service issued a dense fog advisory until 9 a.m. Friday for Tampa Bay. Visibility could be reduced to 1/4 mile or less in the densest fog, the advisory warned. Drivers should progress slowly in foggy conditions, leaving a safe following distance, and use low-beam headlights, the Weather Service said.
As of about 5 a.m., visibility on the Sunshine Skyway bridge was as little as ⅛ mile. Backups on the bridge grew northbound about 9 a.m. for a police issue, though no further information was immediately available.
Morning fog develops when overnight temperatures approach the dew point, Bay News 9 meteorologist Juli Marquez said. Lately, the dew point has been in the 50s and 60s, close to the overnight lows.
The fog burned off as things heated up Friday afternoon and revealed partly cloudy skies. Temperatures were in the upper 70s throughout much of the bay area.
For those visiting from up North, the weekend offers one last chance to enjoy some warm weather.
"This weekend will feature above-normal temperatures, morning fog and low rain chances," Marquez said.
Morning fog will redevelop this morning, but will dissipate as temperatures approach a high in the low 80s, she said.
Sunday, too, will feature temperatures just north of 80 degrees, though there will be considerable cloud cover and a 20 percent chance of rain.
A cold front is due to move into the area Sunday night or Monday, Marquez said, so even though the weekend won't be very sunny, enjoy the unseasonably warm weather while it lasts.
Contact Josh Solomon at (813) 226-3446 or jsolomon@tampabay.com. Follow @josh_solomon15 on Twitter.