Dense fog could persist in Windsor
When the white SUV floored it and pulled out to pass him, all Ben Grondin could see was fog.
“All of a sudden, we see this truck coming out of the fog right at him,” said Grondin, who was driving Monday with his wife, Lori, from Windsor to Tilbury on Highway 42.
“At that point, we were lucky if (visibility) was 200 feet.”
Grondin said the three vehicles narrowly avoided a collision.
The dense, heavy fog that’s been blanketing Windsor and Essex County could shroud the region for another four days if warm weather and light winds keep up, said an Environment Canada meteorologist.
“It’s been a very stubborn weather pattern,” said Geoff Coulson.
He said the “radiation fog ” that’s covered the region for the past few days forms when there are clear skies and relatively light winds. As the ground cools at night, the airdrops to a dew temperature, which can lead to fog. He said it usually starts to dissipate by the early afternoon.
Coulson said drivers should be cautious and aware; they could leave an area where they can see clearly but drive into a low-lying spot with dense fog blocking their view.
“It is very important to realize that these situations can be very patchy,” he said.
Sgt. Matthew D’Asti of the Windsor Police Service said when people drive through a dense, heavy fog, there’s evidence they can feel claustrophobic and speed up hoping to get out of it more quickly.
He said it’s dangerous to speed up in foggy conditions, when drivers can’t see far enough ahead and lose peripheral vision.
“Make a conscious decision to slow down,” he said.
As well, drivers are cautioned to watch for layers of ice on roads overnight as temperatures dip to freezing. “The best advice is really having a full headlighting system on your car — to make yourself as visible as possible — and slowing things down to give yourself a good space between yourself and the vehicle in front of you,” Coulson said. “In case you do encounter one of these pockets of very poor visibility, you’ve got that safety cushion to stop the vehicle before you run into any serious issues.”
Coulson said the unseasonably warm weather has contributed to foggy conditions. Average December temperatures are normally around 2 C. He said Saturday will see temperatures around 11 to 13 C.
He said the fog will likely continue Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, although some mid-week rain could dampen the effect. Still, he said even on Thursday and Friday it will remain mild and moist, which could mean more fog.
The thick fog descended over Windsor on the weekend and Monday, leading to bus and flight cancellations and some minor road collisions.
Visibility at the Windsor airport was less than half a kilometre for much of Monday.
Air Canada and Porter Airlines cancelled some flights arriving and departing in Windsor. Sunwing passengers heading for Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba, had to travel by bus to Toronto to catch a flight.
For Ben Grondin and his wife Lori, their advice is to drive carefully and plan for the unexpected.
“It was bad consistently and there were patches that were really bad,” Grondin said. “Pay attention to what’s going on around you, and don’t take chances.”