San Diego

Dense Fog Delays Travelers Returning From Thanksgiving

The National Weather Service's dense fog advisory is in effect until 10 a.m. Sunday

Dense fog in San Diego County left several travelers figuring out how they would make it home from their long Thanksgiving holiday. 

The National Weather Service issued a dense fog advisory Saturday night into Sunday morning and warned that fog may cause travel delays. 

Visibility was reduced to a quarter of a mile or less in areas of dense fog, which included the coastline.

The fog caused several flights at San Diego International Airport (SAN) to be delayed. 

Mark Kumimoto didn't make it home until Sunday afternoon after his flight from Sacramento made a U-turn over Bakersfield.

“I fly in late at night a lot and a few times they said we might be diverted, but I’ve never been diverted before,” Kumimoto said.

Denise Cooley's Southwest flight from Phoenix was expected to land in San Diego at 9:40 p.m. Saturday. She said the plane was descending when the engines kicked in and the plane gained elevation again.

The flight ended up in Ontario.

Travelers were offered a shuttle bus to SAN but Cooley opted out, insteadtaking a $100 Uber to her Vista home.

The advisory went into effect at 4 p.m. Saturday and expired at 10 a.m. Sunday. 

Close to 20 flights departing from Lindbergh Field were delayed or canceled Saturday because of the fog. 

Southwest Airlines flights to Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco were also among those affected. 

Most flights experiencing delays Sunday morning were to and from the Bay area. Otherwise, arrivals and departures at the airport were operating normally. 

Travelers should check their flight status on the airport's website and arrive early for check-in. 

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