Echuca trapped under thick blanket of winter fog

Helen Reid, a meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology, said the persistent fog was the result of a high-pressure ridge causing temperatures to drop to the “dew point” — the threshold at which cloud and fog begin to form.

The fog’s persistence can be traced back to the sharp cold snap residents experienced when stepping outside on Tuesday morning.

“Because you haven’t got any warmth coming in from the sunshine because we’re having the shortest days of the year currently … there’s no ability to heat the atmosphere to have the cloud or fog re-evaporate back out – so it just hangs around for days on end.

As for how long the fog will stick around, Ms Reid said Echuca was stuck with it as long as the high-pressure ridge stuck around, which could be until Monday next week.

“We are expecting (the fog) to become a little less dominant over the next day or two because we have a system moving through south of Western Australia,” she said.

“The winds will be picking up through Monday, so that’ll clear it up … things should start mixing and moving, and you’ll have a break from that continuous low cloud.”

With fog set to persist across the weekend, residents are urged to stay alert — particularly on the roads, where low visibility continues to pose a safety risk.

Campaspe police have urged drivers to adjust their speed and behaviour to suit the conditions, after receiving multiple reports of vehicles travelling without headlights.

In a Facebook post, police reminded motorists to switch their headlights on when driving in foggy conditions to ensure they remained visible to other road users.

Take a look at how the fog blanketed the area around mid-morning on Thursday, June 25, captured through the Riv lens.