Dense fog cut visibility on interior Prince of Wales Island and Klawock into Monday

The National Weather Service in Juneau issued a dense fog advisory for interior Prince of Wales Island and Klawock late Sunday, warning that fog could cut visibility to a quarter mile or less overnight into Monday. It took effect at 11:17 pm Oct. 18 and had been set to run until 10 am Monday, but the weather service canceled it early, at 6:29 am, as cloud cover moved over the area and the fog dissipated, with visibility rapidly improving.

Low visibility could make travel hazardous, the weather service said, advising drivers to slow down, use their headlights and leave plenty of distance ahead of them.

The advisory covered Monday morning driving hours on a road system that links Craig, Klawock, Hydaburg, Thorne Bay and Hollis, with a northern extension to Coffman Cove Junction, according to the Federal Highway Administration. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities counts more than 1,500 miles of roads on the island, about 200 of them paved, along with improved gravel and logging roads.

The weather service's Juneau office issued earlier dense fog advisories for the island on Sept. 13, Sept. 15 and Sept. 25, each warning of visibility near a quarter mile.

Island drivers can check the latest NWS Juneau zone forecast before heading out.