Dense Fog Advisory Forces Closures, Delays for Monroe County Schools March 4

Monroe Public Schools closed March 4 after a National Weather Service dense fog advisory reduced visibility in Monroe County to a quarter mile or less and remained in effect until 10 a.m. Monroe County Emergency Management sent phone and email alerts about the advisory at about 2:30 a.m., officials reported.

St. Mary Catholic Central High School also closed for the morning. Monroe Public Schools said the district had a half-day dismissal scheduled March 4, and "Please note that Monroe Public Schools had a half-day dismissal scheduled today, which meant a delay was not an option, resulting in the closure." Bedford Public Schools and Ida Public Schools delayed bus pickup and the start of classes by two hours on Wednesday because of the fog.

The Monroe County Intermediate School District delayed the start of operations by two hours at its administration building, its Educational Center, its Transition Center, its Youth Center, and Monroe County Middle College. Local school actions were reflected in early-morning reports compiled by Monroe News, CBS Detroit and The Detroit News as the advisory moved through southeast Michigan.

The National Weather Service in Detroit said the advisory covered Macomb, Monroe, St. Clair and Wayne counties and that a marine dense fog advisory was in effect until 10 a.m. for Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. "Patchy fog is observed this morning across much of southeast Michigan, with a more localized area of dense fog observed from Monroe to St Clair County owing to inland expansion of the marine layer," NWS said. "Notable improvements are expected for the afternoon." The Detroit News reported the fog developed over Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie overnight and spread westward over the Detroit terminals.

CBS Detroit noted the dense fog prompted "some school closings" across southeast Michigan and reminded districts that Michigan allows six emergency cancellation days before superintendents must petition state officials for extra emergency days or schedule makeup days. Local districts have used weather-related cancellations frequently in recent months, and that statewide policy context shaped why some districts chose closures while others opted for two-hour delays.

Monroe County residents who want direct emergency notifications can sign up for the Monroe County Alert Nonfiction System, or MCANS. MCANS sends alerts from local public safety agencies by cell phone, landline and email; to enroll, visit the MCANS page, click the alert image at the bottom of the screen and complete the form to choose alerts including snow emergencies, public health information, school emergency notifications, local and county road closures and drinking water alerts.

Officials and school districts said they expected conditions to improve later in the day per the NWS advisory, which forecast notable afternoon improvement after the morning marine-layer impact.