Freezing fog keeps Tri-City police hopping. Snow may be next

The Tri-Cities could see the first snowfall of the season Tuesday night, but chances are small.

The National Weather Service is predicting a 10 percent chance of a light snow overnight, along with more patchy freezing fog.

Wednesday should be the last foggy morning before a storm system moves in bringing a 60 percent chance of rain for Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm system means warmer temperatures, but commuters and travelers leaving for the holiday should still be ready for possible freezing fog early Wednesday.

Temperatures in the Tri-Cities were expected to drop to freezing at 6 p.m. Tuesday and then remain below freezing until 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Roads may be icy for the third morning in a row.

By 9 a.m. Tuesday the Washington State Patrol had responded to 10 crashes in the Tri-City area as cars and trucks slid across icy roads.

There were no immediate reports of serious injuries, but law enforcement officers remained busy.

In Benton County crews were called out before dawn to a car that ended up in a dry canal, and in Franklin County crews were at crash at North Glade and Russell roads during the morning commute hours that left a car down an embankment.

In Richland, visibility was reduced to a quarter mile because of the fog, according to the National Weather Service. Visibility was better at 1.5 miles in Pasco.

Both Monday and Tuesday mornings the Tri-Cities was under a dense fog advisory until noon.

Hanford workers reported to work as usual Tuesday, but for the second day they were sent an early morning alert that Hanford and Tri-City roads were slick and they should leave early and drive carefully.

This story was originally published November 20, 2018 at 12:18 PM.