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Melburnians have woken to a thick layer of fog over the city, which is due to linger for hours before clearing.
Bureau meteorologist Daniel Sherwin-Simpson said parts of regional Victoria had experienced fog this thick in the previous week, and it was now Melbourne’s turn.
“We’re seeing it through some of the inner western suburbs, so somewhere like Laverton, possibly making its way all the way down to Werribee,” he said.
Melbourne Airport has confirmed that the fog caused the diversion of an inbound flight from Bali. Other flights are taking off and landing as normal.
“What we’re seeing today is what we call a radiation fog. As we head into the night, the atmosphere cools down and it radiates heat up into space and the air cools down.
“So while the moisture in the atmosphere doesn’t change, the temperature goes down, and we see humidity nearing 100 per cent. That’s when fog starts to develop,” he said.
Sherwin-Simpson said Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs, including Moorabbin and St Kilda, are likely to remain shrouded in fog until midday. In the north-eastern suburbs, over the Yarra and other major rivers, high cloud cover would help the fog dissipate earlier.
“It could start to go in maybe the next two to three hours or so,” he said. “As you look southwards, the fog will linger, and we could even see it linger over Port Phillip Bay a little bit longer.”
The bureau is also warning drivers in Melbourne that the fog will make driving more dangerous.
“Slow down and drive carefully,” said the bureau in an alert on Thursday morning. “Leave more space between you and the vehicle in front. It takes longer to stop on wet, slippery roads.”
On Tuesday, Melbourne observed its coldest day of the year, while Mount Hotham had its warmest ever July day.
The bureau put this down to a “temperature inversion” in the atmosphere.
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