Document text
Don�t like the fog? Just give it a day Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell In this view looking southwest from Roxy Ann Peak, the fog that has crept into the area daily since the weekend truly does blanket the landscape. The high-pressure ridge that has caused the fog is expected to break late Thursday, bringing winds and possibly rain into lower elevations to push fog out of the area. Hazy spell can�t rival those of the past By Jessica Smith The steady gray haze that settled over parts of the Rogue Valley this weekend is expected to stick around today, weather watchers say. "Every winter we get a strip of several days in a row where we ... have a persistent fog regime," said Mike Stavish, a weather service meteorologist in Medford. "That�s where we are." But Rogue Valley residents who remember long periods of fog in 1985 and 1989 shouldn�t look for the this week�s foggy spell to last much past Thursday, according to George Taylor, state climatologist. According to local forecasts, the high-pressure ridge that began building Friday should start breaking down late Thursday, bringing winds and possibly rain into lower elevations to push fog out of the area. That news should bring relief to air travelers like Andrew Wade, whose United Airlines flight out of Portland Sunday night was delayed about 14 hours because of fog in Medford. "What I�m worried about is getting out again," said Wade, who traveled from York, England, to the Rogue Valley for a conference in Grants Pass. Wade, who�s scheduled to leave Medford Dec. 12, waited at the airport Tuesday to meet five other conference participants whose flights were delayed by the fog. Out of 26 flights scheduled to leave Medford Tuesday, United canceled at least three flights and Horizon Air called off four because of poor visibility, said airport director Bern Case. Murky skies are typically created during dry spells � such as in the winters of 1985 and 1989 locally � when cool air at lower elevations becomes trapped under warmer air at higher elevations, Taylor explained. The temperature inversion can last days or weeks, he said. Low precipitation in November � the Medford airport reported less than half its average 3.23 inches � likely contributed to current conditions, Taylor said. Though Taylor expects the winter months to bring cold temperatures and rain, he said the absence of El Ni�o/La Ni�a weather patterns make it hard to know just what to expect. "I�m a little gun-shy about long-term projections," he added. He said the West Coast is experiencing what some call "La Nada," a less severe weather pattern than experienced during wet La Ni�a and dry El Ni�o cycles. Reach reporter Jessica Smith at 776-4481, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.