Dense fog advisory for Lower Matanuska and Southern Susitna valleys ended early Thursday

The National Weather Service in Anchorage cancelled its dense fog advisory for the Lower Matanuska Valley and Southern Susitna Valley at 6:24 a.m. Thursday, saying the threat had ended. The advisory had been scheduled to run until 10 a.m.

NWS Anchorage issued the advisory at 10:44 p.m. Wednesday for an area that includes Palmer, Wasilla, Willow and Big Lake. It warned of visibility as low as a quarter mile and hazardous driving conditions. "If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you," the advisory said.

The densest fog recorded came before midnight. Wasilla's airport weather station recorded a quarter mile at 10:33 p.m. Wednesday, then mostly half a mile to a mile and a quarter until midnight. It recorded no visibility under 3 miles after 2:44 a.m. Palmer's station never dropped below 3 miles overnight.

Wednesday night's advisory did not name specific roads; earlier NWS products this year did. A June 12 dense fog advisory said a band of fog moved north from Cook Inlet, crossed the Knik Arm and reached parts of the Parks and Glenn highways. An Aug. 26 special weather statement named the stretch from the Knik Bridge to the Glenn/Parks Highway Interchange as the highest-risk area.

Updated forecasts for the valleys are posted on the NWS Anchorage website.