Heavy fog blankets Southern Utah, drive carefully

Written by Ric Wayman
December 23, 2015

ST. GEORGE — A thick fog blanketed Southern Utah Wednesday morning from St. George to New Harmony, reducing visibility to less than 10 feet in places.

Heavy fog blankets I-15 Wednesday morning as this view from a UDOT traffic camera at the Port of Entry shows. St. George, Utah, Dec. 23, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Utah Department of Transportation, St. George News
Heavy fog blankets I-15 Wednesday morning as this view from a UDOT traffic camera at the Port of Entry shows. St. George, Utah, Dec. 23, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Utah Department of Transportation, St. George News

Utah Department of Transportation traffic cameras showed “pea soup” fog in several locations just after 8 a.m. The St. George Communications Center reported the normal amount of traffic, saying they had not been overwhelmed with accidents due to the fog.

Driving in fog

Driving in fog can be a challenge. First and foremost, slow down. Your visibility is limited and reaction times will be slowed by the loss in forward vision. Also, do not use your high beams. The added light will simply reflect back off the fog and make it more difficult to see.

Fog facts

Heavy fog blankets Southern Utah, St. George, Utah, Dec. 23, 2015 | Photo by Sheldon Demke, St. George News
Heavy fog blankets Southern Utah, St. George, Utah, Dec. 23, 2015 | Photo by Sheldon Demke, St. George News

Wednesday morning’s fog was a phenomenon known as “radiation fog.” According to information from the Weather Channel, this type of fog occurs on clear nights when the surface of the earth cools the moist air immediately above it. A very light wind, not more than a couple of mph at most, stirs the air through a deeper layer, causing a deep fog to form.

The foggiest areas of the United States, according to the National Weather Service, are the Appalachian Mountains, parts of northern New England, and the Pacific Northwest from the central coast of California to the Canadian border. These areas see up to 40 days a year of dense fog.

The least foggiest area? Right here. The desert southwest, from southern Nevada and southwest Utah into Arizona and New Mexico, average only three or four days of dense fog per year.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

"I wrote my first word when I was very young. I enjoyed this so much I decided to write many more words." A native of Pacific Palisades, Calif., Ric was bitten by the news bug as a staff writer and associate editor of the Palisades High School Tideline. After school he entered the media as a radio personality, both playing music and reporting news. Ric moved to St. George in the 1980s and was the morning personality on all three major AM stations in town. An avid amateur radio operator, Ric is looking for a good band to play in, as he plays keyboards, bass and guitar. Ric, who currently is working on developing a lifestyle that doesn't require his presence, lives in the center of St. George with his partner Terri, two snoring dogs and too many neurotic cats.

Email: [email protected]
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8 Comments

  • native born new mexican December 23, 2015 at 10:52 am

    I was driving very carefully in this this morning. I was reminded of my time living in Central America and in Washington state.

    • .... December 23, 2015 at 2:32 pm

      Wow by all means. please feel free to move black to Central America

      • mesaman December 23, 2015 at 5:32 pm

        You don’t have an unbiased bone in your head, do you?

        • .... December 23, 2015 at 11:05 pm

          BITE ME ! Then move to Central America ASAP !

  • ladybugavenger December 23, 2015 at 1:07 pm

    Turned out to be a beautiful day!!!

    • .... December 23, 2015 at 11:07 pm

      Yeppers it sure the heck did !!!!

  • Common Sense December 23, 2015 at 7:00 pm

    If only people would think to use their headlights in dense fog.

  • .... December 24, 2015 at 11:13 am

    Its not real fog ! it’s Monsanto spraying its harmless pesticide

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