Air travelers delayed by heaviest fog in a decade

RENO - First, it was heavy snowfall that grounded thousands of passengers at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Now, dense fog is the culprit.

The Reno area was shrouded in fog for a seventh straight day Saturday, all but shutting down the airport over a 15-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Saturday.

In all, more than 250 fog-related cancellations affected about 185,000 passengers at the airport last week, spokeswoman Trish Tucker said.

"We all feel like we're in the movie 'Groundhog Day,"' Tucker said, referring to the movie in which Bill Murray plays a character who repeats the same day over and over.

The National Weather Service was calling for more fog at least into Monday morning in northwest Nevada valleys, including Reno.

Forecasters said it was the foggiest week in the region since 1993 when fog persisted for 10 days.

"It looks like we're finally going to get some wind in here and maybe some light rain in the valleys by either Monday night or Tuesday" to get rid of the fog, weather service forecaster Mark Deutschendorf said.

Visibility has ranged from zero to a quarter mile during mornings, with afternoon clearing, he said.

The fog also has been blamed for dozens of traffic accidents including two involving school buses in Douglas County. No one was hurt.

Snow and fog have combined to make it one of the most challenging winters in the Reno airport's 40-year history, Tucker said.

Earlier this month, the airport was closed for the second time in a week - and only the third time in 40 years - because plows could not keep up with heavy snowfall.

A series of powerful storms in late December and early January dumped as much as 6 feet of snow - the heaviest snowfall in Reno since 1916.

"We're looking for Mother Nature to bring us something more than fog or snow - like sunshine. We would love some sunshine," Tucker said.