Residents along the west coast of Florida from Tampa to Naples woke up this morning to discover it had rained overnight.

It wasn't needed water that fell, however. It was ash.

The ash was from fires burning in north Florida and south Georgia and prompted the National Weather Service in Tampa to issue health warnings.

"The smoke will produce very dangerous driving conditions," the weather service bulletin advises, "along Interstate 75 and U.S. 19, where visibilities will drop to below one-quarter mile.

"In addition, the smoke and ash will pose serious hazards to persons with breathing problems. Residents and visitors with breathing problems are advised to remain indoors the remainder of today."

Ryan Sharp, a weather service meteorologist, said the smoke will be with us until at least Sunday afternoon.

A dense mass of smoke is in the Gulf of Mexico, expected to move into Charlotte County between 1-4 p.m.

Sharp warned that winds will shift to the east late Sunday. If the large fire now burning out of control on Babcock Ranch property in eastern Charlotte is not extinguished by then, the dense smoke will blow into Charlotte's populated areas along the coast.

This morning, Tampa had the worst visibility -- a quarter-mile at Tampa International Airport. St. Petersburg reported three-quarters at its airport near Clearwater. Punta Gorda was reporting six-mile visibility.

Patrick Mahoney of the Florida Forestry Service said the Babcock fire was 65 percent contained this morning, and seven tractors working around the clock to create fire breaks. But, he said, the fire was moving east "rapidly."

Mahoney said the fire began from a lightning strike last weekend.

Sharp said that this area has a 10 percent chance of rain Sunday, 30 percent on Monday. But, he cautioned, the rains may come from thunderstorms, which could set off a new round of wildfires. Hail and gusty winds could accompany those storms, he added.

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