No fog threat through weekend after Skyway bridge reopens

Despite heavy sea fog that caused the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to be closed for more than two hours Thursday, the National Weather Service says there’s no threat of severe fog through the weekend for Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Fleming said the air will be much drier on Friday and for the next few nights until Sunday night through Monday morning. However, fog could return next week.

“We are expecting another front coming through Monday or Tuesday. We could see some more fog ahead of that possibly Monday morning or Tuesday morning,” National Weather Service meteorologist Tyler Fleming said Thursday evening. “Fog is a pretty tricky thing to forecast. It’s not a sure thing.”

Friday will see high temperatures in the upper 70s and low temperatures Friday night into Saturday morning will be in the 60s along the coast.

Saturday, highs will be around 80s across the area; lows Saturday night through Sunday morning will be low to mid 60s, Fleming said. Sunday, the high will be in the low 80s, and Sunday night into Monday morning highs will be in the mid to upper 60s, he said.

At 1:45 p.m. Thursday, the Florida Highway Patrol announced that the Skyway had been reopened after visibility improved with sea fog dissipating from the area. The closure was announced at 11:30 a.m., and drivers had been advised to seek alternate routes.

The Tampa Bay area receives fog often during the winter, according to Bay News 9 meteorologist Mike Clay. Unlike the sea fog seen last year that affected the area for several days at a time, Thursday’s fog was short-lived and began to dissipate not long after the bridge’s closure.

This story was originally published December 1, 2016 at 11:39 AM with the headline "No fog threat through weekend after Skyway bridge reopens."