Fog rolls in to portions of northern Utah, will stick around through Friday
Dec 5, 2024, 6:06 PM | Updated: 8:02 pm
A UDOT traffic camera showing I-80 in Tooele County covered in fog on Dec. 5, 2024. (UDOT)
(UDOT)
SALT LAKE CITY — On Wednesday evening, a wave of fog rolled into Utah Valley. That’s right, it’s not just smog. Now we have fog.
Just as the commute hour was starting, a bank of fog formed over the Great Salt Lake, blanketing roads. It has greatly reduced visibility along Interstate 80 and state Route 201 between Magna and Tooele, as well as roads west of Interstate 15 in portions of Davis County.
David Church with the National Weather Service said the fog is due to the inversion.
“We’ve been under inversion conditions for the last several days now. So we just got into the point where that inversion is so shallow and trapping moisture under the lake that we developed this fog bank. And now we’re just watching that fog bank roll around.”
Where is the fog?
Church also said that the fog isn’t covering everywhere equally, and conditions can change very suddenly depending on where you are driving.
“I think what we’re going to see, going to the overnight now, is that fog bank’s going to kind of roll back in particularly areas along and west of I-15 [and] going to probably see the worst of the fog. Once you get a little bit east of it, if you’re out of it, you’re out of it. It’s a very sharp cutoff for very clear conditions and to just very poor visibility.”
How long will it be around?
According to Church, the fog will stay overnight and into Friday.
“We might see it kind of retreat back over the lake during the daytime hours, but then it’s looking like we could see this expand back in again similarly tomorrow evening,” said Church.
He urged drivers to be cautious, especially if those near Great Salt Lake.
The National Weather Service advises drivers to slow down in the fog and use low-beam headlights to help with visibility
