Road weather alert as Adelaide blanketed with fog, flights delayed and cancelled

Scores of flights were affected this morning as thick fog blanketed the city, sparking a warning to travellers to brace for delays. Motorists were also warned to drive with care.

Multiple flights were cancelled or delayed as thick fog blanketed metropolitan Adelaide on Tuesday morning, also sparking a road weather warning.

The Advertiser understands more than 20 flights at Adelaide Airport were delayed on Tuesday morning while five were cancelled.

The cancelled flights included arrivals and departures from Port Lincoln to Adelaide, flights to Melbourne, and Adelaide to Perth until as late as midday on Tuesday.

Fog blanketing Adelaide Airport on Tuesday, July 12, 2022. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Fog blanketing Adelaide Airport on Tuesday, July 12, 2022. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

It comes as school holiday passengers experienced delays on Monday at the airport with the terminal overflowing with travellers and three flights cancelled before 8am. Security checkpoints were under the pump as queues snaked through the terminal – not for the first time in the past few days.

Passengers at Adelaide Airport last week. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Bureau of Meteorology’s senior forecaster Jenny Horvat said a weakening cold front moved through on Monday and left moisture behind, with fog developing in the hills and northern suburbs.

⚠️ #Road Weather Alert has been issued for the Adelaide Area. Areas of fog and low cloud are reducing visibility and making road conditions dangerous. Please take extra care on the roads. Latest warning at https://t.co/WRD4JwkOMu. @[e-mail]/oWMuVsWWak

— Bureau of Meteorology, South Australia (@BOM_SA) July 11, 2022

“We’ve got a light north easterly wind and that’s moving it more to the southern suburbs so it’s relatively extensive across the metropolitan area this morning,” Ms Horvat told The Advertiser.

“There is quite a bit of it so it probably will hang around quite a bit this morning.

“Visibility down there is down to 50m currently, on the last report they’ve got it down to 100m so I imagine that could cause some issues there this morning,” she said at 6am.

Ms Horvat said a weakening trough will later bring showers in Adelaide.

“It’s a bit of a trade-off for when the fog will end and when the showers will start,” she said.

A road weather alert was issued due to the fog, making road conditions dangerous during Tuesday in the Adelaide area, the bureau warned.

Motorists were advised to slow down and take extra care, maintain a safe distance between vehicles and turn on headlights.

Thick fog blankets Goodwood Rd on Tuesday morning.

Adelaide will reach a top of 14C on Tuesday, with just 2mm of rain expected.

It comes after Adelaide shivered down to its lowest temperatures all year on Sunday morning, dropping to just 2.7C in the city.