Medford, Ore. — The fog has settled in the Rogue Valley.
Monday morning it was thick enough to slow drivers and even cancel flights at the airport.
Imagine waking up in the morning for a 10-hour flight to Europe.
You pack all your belongings, make sure to get to your gate on time, and then your flight gets delayed.
“We have to wait until tomorrow,” Janika Laier said.
Janika Laier has been visiting a friend in the Rogue Valley, but she was planning to be back home in Germany by Monday night.
Due to foggy conditions, that’s no longer possible.
Now she’s had to cancel appointments, and she’s not sure if she’ll make it back home for a Christmas party.
“I really like to join them when they celebrate,” Laier said.
Steven Carter is a friend of Laier who happens to know about foggy conditions himself since he’s a paragliding pilot.
“We’ve got the cold air trapped here. Like if you open your refrigerator door and then you see fog come out into the room and then it falls because it’s cold. And it just gets trapped here under the warmer air,” Carter said.
Carter says pilots can have trouble taking off and landing in the fog.
He says the last thing you want is to be in the sky when you shouldn’t be.
“It’s much better to be here, than be in the sky wishing you were down here,” Carter said.
While it may be an inconvenience, Laier is in good spirits and trying to stay positive.
After all, many say it’s not just about the destination… it’s about the journey.
“It’s not too bad to spend another day and night here. I like it here,” Laier said.
According to the airport manager, a fog-busting balloon can be sent into the air to clear the fog, but it only works when it’s below freezing.
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