Fog causes many local school districts to delay classes

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Central unified looked like a ghost town as early morning fog moved bus schedules to a Plan D.

"School safety is our top priority and we want to make sure our students have a safe mode of transportation to get to school," said Ezequiel Gutierrez, Central High School East vice Principal.

As early as 6:15 parents started receiving text messages of the expected delays.

"We've been tracking the situation and the fog all morning long-- we've had updates going out on a regular basis, we've had updates on the hour, and communicating that out to families as well," said Gutierrez.

This was the first Plan D of the year, canceling all school buses and excusing absences. The four hour delay for the start of school meant an 11:20 start for students.

Dense fog did not only impact motorists, but pedestrians had to navigate crosswalks with extra caution.

"We've had an influx of traffic collisions, I'm not sure of how many, but it has increased because of the fog," said Vic Taylor, California Highway Patrol.

There have been so many collisions that CHP officers had to take a proactive approach by deploying pace cars.

"Our officers are in patrol vehicles and activate the emergency lights to slow traffic down during the fog," said Taylor.

Officers add, despite familiarity with the roadways, sometimes, in dense fog conditions, even the posted speed limit is too fast.