Residents of Southeast Michigan woke up to a blanket of dense fog and treacherous driving conditions this Wednesday, squeezing visibility down to a mere quarter-mile in places. The National Weather Service advised the murky veil covering the state will linger until around 11 a.m. Major roads like Interstates 75, 96, and 94 are under the weather's grasp, facing this thick predicament.
With schools shutting their doors or delaying the day's start, more than 100 institutions opted for caution amid the visibility challenge, FOX 2 Detroit reported. The dense fog advisory, coupled with icy conditions from Tuesday's wintry mix, conceals roads that are treacherous to unsuspicious motorists winding their way through the morning commute.
The atmospheric conditions, a product of warm air skimming over the cold blanket of snow on the ground, resulted in what's referred to as advection fog, according to ClickOnDetroit. While temperatures stayed above the freezing point, preventing the more hazardous freezing fog from forming, untreated secondary roads still presented slick and icy dangers.
As the fog is expected to pull a disappearing act with the arrival of cold rain and temperature hovering in the upper 30s, drivers are urged by NWS to practice caution by slowing down, using low-beam headlights, and spacing themselves wisely on the roads, The Detroit News stated. Returning again Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the fog sets a moist stage, with more rain anticipated to follow Thursday afternoon.
