Monday morning commute may be icy. Tri-Cities under air stagnation advisory

The morning commute Monday could be icy as the Tri-Cities area continues to deal with its first stretch of freezing fog of the fall season.

Trooper Chris Thorson of the Washington State Patrol warns that bridges and overpasses may freeze before the rest of the roadway due to cold air both above and below their concrete.

“Be careful this winter,” he said in a video recorded at the scene of a pickup crash Saturday. The driver had not been expecting freezing on a overpass bridge deck, he said.

Patchy freezing fog also is forecast Monday night by the National Weather Service.

The Tri-Cities could get a break from fog Tuesday and Wednesday, but more fog is forecast from Thanksgiving through at least Saturday.

However, a slight increase in temperatures means that when the fog returns it may be less likely to make roadways icy after daylight.

The high could warm to 47 under partly sunny skies Wednesday, after high temperatures in the 30s for the start of the week. The high is forecast at 45 on Thanksgiving, which is about normal for the date for the Tri-Cities.

Lows should warm from as cold as 23 at the start of the week to 32 by Friday night, according to the weather service forecast.

The Tri-Cities is under an air stagnation advisory through 3 p.m. Monday, with pollutants held close to the ground where people breathe.

Air quality in the Tri-Cities Sunday was rated as “moderate,” one step worse than “good,” according to the Washington state Department of Ecology. It did not forecast significant worsening air quality through Monday afternoon.

However, Tri-Cities area residents are asked to limit indoor wood burning, if possible.

This story was originally published November 20, 2022 at 11:18 AM.