If you’re feeling lost in a fog this morning, it’s probably not just you. Seasonal dense fog that blanketed the region Monday morning probably isn’t done with the Bay Area just yet, weather forecasters said.
The National Weather Service on Monday advised both mariners and motorists to watch out for dense fog near San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay, the western Delta and the San Francisco Bay north of the Bay Bridge.
Low visibility can make navigation difficult for vessels, with fog limiting visibility to one quarter to one half mile. Boaters are advised to use their radar and compass.
The dense fog is also interfering with visibility for drivers along the San Francisco and San Francisco Bay shorelines, and North Bay interior valleys.
If driving, motorists should slow down, use low-beam headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead to the next car.
Fog is essentially a cloud that forms at ground level when air near the ground cools enough for water vapor to condense into tiny droplets suspended in the air. The droplets scatter light and reduce visibility, sometimes dramatically.
Along the Delta waterways and other inland valleys, tule fog can develop when moist air cools overnight under clear skies and light winds. It is largely seasonal between early November and late March. Dense fog can also form when moist air moves over cooler land or water, a process known as advection fog. Both conditions can produce the thick, low-lying fog that makes morning travel hazardous.