O, Say, Can You See? Not Through the Coastal Fog

Fog that prevented planes from landing at Lindbergh Field and forced lost boaters to drop anchor is expected to shroud coastal areas nightly through mid-week, according to the National Weather Service.

Moist marine air moved inland to cut visibility just after sunset Sunday, forecasters said. More fog was predicted to roll in just before dark today and Wednesday, and cling through Thursday morning.

Forecaster Wilbur Shigehara said fog is common this time of year and that dense clouds often limit aircraft operations in October, November and December.

Flights leaving the airport Sunday night were able to take off, but incoming planes were diverted to Los Angeles, Lindbergh Field supervisor Jim Doolittle said.

About 129 flights were canceled Sunday night, he said. Visibility returned to about 2.5 miles at 5 a.m. Monday morning and regular service resumed.

Coast Guard officials said boaters lost in the fog were advised to drop anchor and wait it out. Mission Bay Harbor Patrol officers said they assisted some boaters to land.

Shigehara said the fog will begin to seep inland through the week, in addition to clouding coastal areas.

Temperatures should continue to be normal, with highs along the coast in the 70s and lows in the 50s through Thursday. Inland areas with expected highs in the 80s today may drop to the high 70s by the end of the week.