Thick fog envelops Red Rock, mountains

By ERIC HARTLEY LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

11 years ago

Larry Hottman, right, Bernie Berens, Carolyn Berens and Carrie Melander, left, all from Salina, Kansas, stroll the fog shrouded boardwalk in Red Spring at Calico Basin Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014. (Sam Morris/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Traffic travels through the fog along SR160 Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014. (Sam Morris/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Clouds shroud the Las Vegas Strip on Wednesday, Dec. 03, 2014. Forecast calls for mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. (Jeff Scheid/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

A reflection of Stratosphere Tower taken from Regional Justice Center on Wednesday, Dec. 03, 2014. Forecast calls for mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. (Jeff Scheid/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Fog seen from Red Rock Country Club on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014. (Submitted via At the Scene/Rachel Casper)

Tourists stroll the fog shrouded boardwalk in Red Spring at Calico Basin Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014. (Sam Morris/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Water drips off a tree in Red Spring at Calico Basin Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014. (Sam Morris/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Dense fog temporarily closed Red Rock Canyon Loop on Wednesday afternoon and was expected to blanket parts of the Las Vegas area until Thursday morning.

Fog is common from December to February, National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Gorelow said. But it’s usually seen in the evening or early morning.

“To have it going through the day like this is sort of unusual,” he said.

The fog started to set in just after noon Wednesday, and at times there was “basically zero visibility” in Red Rock Canyon, Gorelow said.

He said Tuesday’s rain and cooler temperatures contributed to the fog, which is expected to last until about 10 a.m. Thursday.

Drivers should use low-beam headlights, not high beams, and should go slower because of reduced visibility, Gorelow said.

There was little fog in the Las Vegas Valley.

Contact Eric Hartley at ehartley@reviewjournal.com or 702-550-9229. Find him on Twitter: @ethartley.