Fog Brings Delay for Fliers at Florida Airports
South Florida's version of winter white settled over the region Tuesday morning, a thick veil of fog that smoothed hard-edged skyscrapers, erased distant horizons and ran six-lane highways into cottony nothingness.
But the fog's otherworldly qualities did little to help the down-to-earth difficulties it created during the morning commute. Travelers at Miami International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airports were delayed, diverted or grounded, for hours in some cases. Rush hour slowed to a meander on I-95 and I-595 as drivers strained to see. Still, the Florida Highway Patrol reported no major accidents.
The fog was notable for its vastness -- covering everything from Palm Beach County to South Miami-Dade -- and its traffic-stopping density. But such weather systems are not highly unusual at this time of year, weather experts said.
''It's not a terribly common occurence in South Florida, but if it's going to happen, it'll happen in the cooler months. It's not unheard of,'' said Robert Molleda, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Miami.
At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, spokesman Jim Reynolds said the weather put the whole operation on pause for a while on Tuesday morning.
''It's the densest fog I've seen in a long, long time at the airport,'' he said.
A cold front pushing slowly through the area made conditions ripe for fog, Molleda said. Light rain on Monday moistened the atmosphere, followed by clearing, cool temperatures and very light winds. The combination resulted in heavy mists -- essentially, clouds forming at ground level.
Today may bring something of a repeat performance, Molleda said, although he expects the fog to be much patchier and lighter.
Tuesday ''was bona fide dense fog,'' he said. ``I guess you could call it pea soup.''
But while science can explain away the fog, it was daylight that dispelled it, some time around 11 a.m., Molleda said. ''It burned off eventually,'' he said, ``so everybody can go back to normal.''
Herald staff writers Jennifer Lebovich, Luisa Yanez, Brad Bennett and Steve Harrison contributed to this report.
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