It's the time of year where we'll start to see more and heavier fog during our morning commutes. Monday morning's fog, however, was thicker than usual thanks to another phenomenon we're experiencing.
"This morning is a little bit different situation, and the biggest culprits in that are the fires that we're still dealing with," Chris Bannan, a forecaster at the National Weather Service in Slidell, said. "Since water can't collect on itself, it needs dust or something it can hold on to."
According to Bannan, the smoke from the marsh fires in Orleans and Jefferson Parish providing a binding agent for water molecules in the atmosphere. That, combined with temperatures dropping into the high 60s or low 70s, allows thick fog to develop.
"Then you get visibility that's almost zero, and with people driving even 40 miles per hour, you can react fast enough," Bannan said.
The good news: Bannan says conditions over the next couple of nights should prevent another heavy fog like Monday's.
"The wind should pick up pretty good overnight tonight and continue for the next 36 to 48 hours."
