Heavy fog forces delays, closings of dozens of schools

11/8/2006

Heavy fog this morning in many areas of northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan forced dozens of school closings and delays, creating problems for thousands of parents unexpectedly forced to make child care arrangements.

Spokesmen for Toledo Express and Detroit Metro airports said there were no flight delays due to fog.

Most of the fog, triggered by yesterday's rain and temperature changes overnight, cleared by late morning. But the potential risks associated with having high school students driving to school through thick fog in rural areas or waiting at bus stops led many school administrators to delay or close.

In most cases, school closings started out as two-hour delays that progressed to shutdowns for the day by mid-morning.

Toledo Public Schools, the area's largest school system, was not affected.

Neither were Washington Local or Sylvania schools in northern Lucas County. Rural schools in counties south, southwest and southeast of Lucas were hardest hit along with Tecumseh, Whiteford and other school districts in rural areas of southeast Michigan.

Among the districts reporting closures to Toledo TV and radio stations: Arcadia, Bettsville, Blanchard Valley, Bowling Green, Cory Rawson, Eastwood, Genoa Local, Hardin Northern, Hopewell-Loudon, Lake Local, Liberty Benton, McComb, Mohawk, New Riegel, North Baltimore, Old Fort, Oregon, Pandora-Gilboa, Port Clinton, Riverdale, Seneca East Local, Tiffin, and Upper Sandusky.

Perrysburg schools were delayed by two hours because of the fog.