Snowy Start to Saturday Leads to a Foggy Forecast

Here's a look at all of the snow we got from Friday night through Saturday morning. The hardest hit area was in Beadle county, Huron reported the most snow with 3.5 inches of snow total. A snow alert was issued effective at midnight, and city officials ask that no one parks on East-West streets. Most other places saw under an inch. The great thing about this snow is that it's relatively dry, so it's easy to jut brush off or sweep away with a broom for all the places that saw less than an inch. On the flip side, if you aren't wearing shoes with grips on the bottom, it may prove to be a little slick. The snow that fell along with light winds and clearing skies are the perfect recipe for fog tonight and early in the morning. The snow pack actually provides a very low layer of moisture that enables fog to form... as the surface cools... the temperature of the air reaches the saturation point - or dew point. Since the snow is fresh, there's more moisture in the area, so it doesn't take too long to hit that point. Once the saturation point is hit, the moisture condenses out forming a very low cloud, or fog as we know it is formed. Now this couldn't happen if we had higher winds because they would mix the air up enough to stop the air from cooling enough to condense. Clouds overhead would also trap heat from the day and again stop the air from cooling. But with light winds, clearing skies and a fresh layer of boosted moisture. . . perfect conditions for fog. Be careful on the roads if you are driving in the morning, things should clear up by 10am.

~KDLT Meteorologist Jesse Ritka