"Superfog" Leads to Huge Pile-Up near New Orleans

Dense fog on Monday morning called "super fog" led to a massive pileup on I-55 in Akers, LA, west of New Orleans. The exact number of cars involved in the pileup is unknown at this time but WeatherNation has received pictures and videos of hundreds of cars parked on I-55 with nowhere to go. The elevated roadway meant drivers had nowhere to go. Our field correspondent Brandon Clement got a birds' eye view of the damage after the fog lifted.

In addition to vehicle crashes, there appear to have been car fires too. I-10 was closed IN BOTH DIRECTIONS from the New Orleans Airport to the intersection with I-55 Southbound was closed over Lake Pontchartrain throughout Monday.

So what caused the fog? This was known as "super fog" which was caused by the combination of dense fog due to more moisture in the atmosphere, as well as wildfire smoke nearby. Stronger winds should keep fog at bay through the overnight hours through Tuesday, but advisories have been issued just in case as the wildfires remain ablaze.

Monday morning, the visibility was down to 0 miles through the greater New Orleans area. Fog can be extremely dangerous during driving conditions as it usually is more dense in certain areas compared to others. At the time of the pileup, visibility was near zero in the Akers area. Earlier Monday morning the causeway bridge was closed over Lake Pontchartrain too because of how dense the fog was and how dangerous it was to drive.

Tuesday morning's forecast calls for more fog, but winds will be a bit gustier which should help to clear those conditions quicker. Be cautious on the roads.