Early Tuesday morning, December 10, 2024, dense fog began to form across Indiana, catching many off guard. The heavy rain from the previous day, combined with light winds and saturated surface conditions, created the perfect conditions for fog to develop. Unfortunately, this thick fog arrived just in time for school bus pick-up, causing significant disruptions.
By 6 a.m., fog started to set in, with visibility dropping to less than half a mile in many areas, especially in rural locations. As a result, many schools issued delayed starts, but in some cases the announcements came late, leaving parents scrambling to find alternate care or make last-minute arrangements to get their kids to school. “I dropped my son off at 9AM and I couldn’t even see the school from the road. Not even an outline of it,” Kara Rice noted on a Facebook post.
The most dangerous consequence of the fog was its impact on school bus drivers, who struggled to spot children waiting at bus stops due to the low visibility. This posed a serious safety risk, as children were left standing alone, vulnerable to being struck by cars or buses.
The National Weather Service didn’t issue a Dense Fog Advisory until 7:14 a.m., more than an hour after the fog had already taken hold. This delayed advisory left schools with little time to react and make safety decisions.
However, meteorologists at BAMWX had been providing hourly insights and forecasts about the fog risk since 9:45 a.m. on Monday, issuing multiple alerts to keep clients and school systems informed of the developing conditions.
With timely information, schools caught off guard could have better prepared for the fog and taken proactive steps to protect students and staff. The key takeaway: decisions related to safety, especially in weather, should not be delayed.