Dense Fog — Polk, Florida

2001-02-06 · Polk, Florida

Wider weather episode

The combination of dense fog and smoke from a nearby 3,500 acre wildfire caused localized visibility to be reduced to near zero along a dip in U.S. Highway 27 between two hills over extreme northeast Polk county. Two major accidents occurred at the location of the reduced visibility which resulted in one fatality at approximately 5 am EST. Eight vehicles, which involved four tractor-trailers, a gravel truck, a milk truck, a pickup truck and a passenger vehicle, were either destroyed or significantly damaged in the accidents.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5235352. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.