NEW ORLEANS — Dense fog has returned to the metro area Sunday night and is expected into Monday morning.
At 5:30 p.m. Sunday, the Causeway was down to a single lane of traffic in each direction and speed was limited to 35 mph.
That was after a dense fog welcomed southeast Louisiana residents to the New Year shortly after midnight, closing the Causeway for a couple of hours and leaving visibility at less than a half a mile for many.
The Causeway closed around 2:30 a.m. in both directions, but was reopened around 7:30 a.m. Sunday.
WWL-TV Chief Meteorologist Chris Franklin said the fog situation has already begun to improve but that it could take several additional hours for it all to burn off.
Franklin said the "rule of thumb" is that anything less than five miles can be a problem. As of 7 a.m., visibility was listed as zero in Kenner and in Reserve and only one-quarter of a mile in Gonzales, Baton Rouge, Houma and Galliano.