Dense fog creates low visibility for Chicago area commuters

Most of the Chicago area is covered in dense fog that has created low visibility for commuters Thursday morning.

A dense fog advisory was in effect until 3 p.m. for Cook and DuPage counties in Illinois and Lake County in Indiana with foggy conditions along the shoreline lingering into Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service.

"The wind direction is going to continue to be from the north or northeast into the city this time of year. With the cold water and moisture starting to work its way from the south, moisture over the cold water condenses into fog over the like, and then with the wind coming off of the lake, that fog just basically blows into the city area," said Todd Kluber, a meteorologist with the weather service.

Last night, visibility at O'Hare International Airport dropped to under 1,000 feet but has since improved, the weather service said.

The lingering fog is expected to keep temperatures right around 40 degrees for much of Thursdays before the high for Friday is expected to jump to the mid-60s in the city and mid-70s further into the southwest suburbs.

"Patches of showers and light drizzles" were expected for parts of Thursday while heavier rain and possibly thunderstorms could reach the Chicago area Friday morning.

Kluber urges commuters to drive slowly and use their headlights while navigating through the fog.

"With shorter visibility, there's less time [to react,]" Kluber said.