Dense fog warning for five states as holidaymakers travel for Veterans Day

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued “dense fog” warnings for Monday morning covering large swathes of five southern states.

The fog advisories affect parts of Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia on Veterans Day, as some Americans plan to travel for the holiday.

Low visibility in some areas could make driving conditions “hazardous,” according to the NWS. (See here for the full list of affected counties and areas.)

“If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you,” the weather service said in the advisories.

NWS Memphis, Tennessee, issued dense fog advisories in effect until 7 a.m. CST Monday morning, warning that visibility could be less than one mile in some places. These advisories apply to portions of north Mississippi and west Tennessee.

Among the counties affected by the advisories are Lafayette, Tallahatchie, Tippah, Union and Yalobusha counties in Mississippi, and Chester, Decatur, Henderson and McNairy counties in Tennessee.

In Texas, several advisories are in effect, all until 9 a.m. CST Monday morning. Two of these advisories warn of visibility being less than one mile for portions of south-central and southeast Texas.

But in some parts of the state, visibility could be as low as one quarter to one half mile in dense fog. This includes inland Harris, Montgomery, northern Liberty, Polk, San Jacinto and Walker counties.

In several other Texas counties, including De Witt, Karnes, and Lavaca, visibility could be down to one quarter mile or less in dense fog.

Similar visibility is expected in portions of east and northeast Texas, south-central and southwest Arkansas, as well as north-central and northwest Louisiana, according to another NWS advisory, also in effect until 9 a.m. CST Monday morning.

An advisory in effect until 9 a.m. CST for portions of central, southwest and west central Louisiana warns that visibility in these areas could be less than one mile in dense fog.

Meanwhile, other advisories are in effect until 6 a.m. CST Monday morning for portions of southeast Arkansas, northeast Louisiana, as well as central, east-central, northwest, south-central, southeast, southwest and west-central Mississippi.

Finally, in Georgia, a dense fog advisory remains in effect until 10 a.m. EST Monday morning for portions of the central, north-central, northeast, northwest and west-central parts of the state. In these areas, visibility could be less than one quarter mile in dense fog.

Veterans Day, observed annually on November 11 in the United States, honors military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The holiday originally marked the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918 and was first celebrated as Armistice Day in 1919.

In 1954, after the experience of World War II and the Korean War, the holiday was renamed Veterans Day to honor all veterans, not just those who served in WWI. Unlike Memorial Day, which commemorates those who died in military service, Veterans Day celebrates all U.S. veterans, both living and deceased.