Freezing fog advisory could cause treacherous driving conditions

SEATTLE — There’s a Freezing Fog Advisory Tuesday with chilly temperatures in the 20s and 30s.

That means there could be ice for most of the area, except Skagit and Snohomish counties. Initially, the National Weather Service said the advisory would expire at 10 a.m., but it was extended until noon.

Please leave a few minutes early to scrape your windshield and be extra careful, especially on bridges, overpasses and sidewalks.

The Emerald Queen Casino camera in Tacoma showed the fog was so thick that you couldn’t see Interstate 5.

Meanwhile, we will see clearing after lunchtime, but it will take a while. High pressure will stay in control for another foggy morning and then some sunshine for the afternoon, though fog could be more stubborn to clear out south of Seattle. Highs will be in the mid to upper 40s.

Air quality will continue to be a problem and probably get a little worse in areas from about South King County southward through mid-week as smoke from wood burning and pollution from other sources collects. Without stronger winds to disperse these elements through Wednesday, air quality will be in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” to “unhealthy” at times.

By Wednesday we’ll start with clear skies and fog, but high clouds will increase during the day. By Thursday, we could have some light rain showers at the coast during the day but for most of us, we will stay rain-free until late Thursday or Thursday night.

More widespread and consistent rain will move in on Friday and winds will be a little gusty, especially up north. We could have a bit of a lull in the rain on Saturday but by Sunday and Monday, warmer temperatures in the 50s will arrive along with heavier rain, and gusty winds again.

In the mountains, heavy snow will fall Friday and Friday night and we could have 6-12″ of snow at Stevens Pass and also some snow even down to Snoqualmie Pass, though by Sunday and Monday we’ll probably go to rain at Snoqualmie Pass for a time while more snow falls at the higher elevations. The snowfall forecast has some uncertainty at this point when it comes to snow levels so we’ll be fine-tuning as we get closer.

But it certainly appears the first half of December will feature some active weather in the lowlands and higher elevations!

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