Tampa Bay area residents have woken up to the sight of thick fog multiple days in a row. That forecast is set to continue for the foreseeable future thanks to rising dew points and higher temperatures. This combination has created some extremely foggy conditions for the morning commute in and around Tampa Bay.
The fog peaks at around 7:00 AM and has dropped visibility to near zero for nearly a week. Forecasters call for the morning fog to stick around for at least another three days, possibly longer. The weather is in a holding pattern that does not call for any serious changes for the next ten days meaning that the foggy mornings are likely to persist.
Fog increases the likelihood of accidents on the roadways and it is urged to use increased caution when driving in foggy conditions. Do not speed. Do not use your high beams. Maintain visual contact with the nearest cars around you. If you cannot see them, they likely cannot see you. When in doubt, slow down but do not lose the flow of traffic.
After a November that saw an unusually high amount of below-average temperatures, December is off to a warm start. The highs in Tampa are set to be at or above 80 degrees for the next week and that forecast could stick around long term. This has also been accompanied by a steady increase in humidity levels. November was extremely dry both in terms of rainfall and moisture content in the air. While December has seen negligible rain totals so far, the humidity is back and driving the presence of fog.
There will be no white Christmases in Florida this year. While the long term forecast is still a little ways out for an accurate Christmas prediction, all indications are pointing to a warm and muggy Christmas for most Floridians.
This time of year sees Florida's weather dominated by the behavior of large fronts that sweep in from the north and west and there are currently no fronts with enough steam to make it to Florida in the near future. This will keep temperatures mild to warm, keep the humidity in place, and will not bring many chances for rain.
There is still a chance that a late month front develops and moves towards Florida but as of now, there are no such fronts on the map.
In the meantime, be careful while driving in the fog and expect to wake up to grey and foggy conditions for the next few days. The weather pattern over the next couple of weeks will be very familiar to Floridians as Tampa stays warm, humid, and partly cloudy in the run up to Christmas.
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