Dense Fog — Eastern Uinta Basin, Utah

2024-12-30 · Eastern Uinta Basin, Utah

Event narrative

At approximately 6:45AM local time, the KVEL ASOS at Vernal Airport, in Vernal, UT began reporting visibilities of 1/4 mile or less. Additionally, satellite imagery helped to confirm that the dense fog was more than just localized at the airport. As the sun rose, road cameras provided by the Utah Department of Transportation added visual conformation of the extent of the dense fog, particularly along the US Highway 40 corridor. This fog lingered into the morning before beginning to lift after 10AM local time, as dry air and sunshine began to erode the surface moisture. No reports of injuries, damages, or fatalities were received.

Wider weather episode

While drier air moving in to the region began to scour out the rich pockets of low level moisture across the lower elevation valleys of eastern Utah and western Colorado, deep moisture lingered in the eastern Uinta Basin. This moisture condensed during the overnight hours, creating dense fog.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1226704. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.