A batch of thick, freezing fog masked the Redmond Airport runway Sunday evening, thwarting holiday travel plans for hundreds of commercial airline passengers as approaching pilots turned planes toward Portland and Seattle.

Though the rising sun burned off the low clouds Monday morning, diverted planes from the night before resulted in a handful of canceled departures scheduled for Monday, said Zachary Bass, Redmond Airport manager.

Bass estimated 500 to 600 passengers were affected Sunday evening and a similar number Monday morning. Nine planes failed to land Sunday after fog thickened around 6 p.m., he said.

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Pilots searching for the runway couldn’t see farther than a quarter mile, essentially the accepted minimum visibility for landing a commercial plane, Bass said.

“Everything looks back to normal as of now,” Bass said midmorning Monday.

The National Weather Service in Pendleton issued a freezing fog advisory for Central Oregon at 5 a.m. Monday, warning of low visibility and potentially slick road conditions from freezing water droplets on the roadway. The temperature in Redmond dropped below freezing before 6 p.m. Sunday and dropped to a low of 16 degrees at 6 a.m. Monday.

The freezing fog phenomenon is a normal one for Central Oregon winters, said Cole Evans, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pendleton. Fog is formed when cold air slips to the bottom of mountain valleys and warm air hovers above it. It dissipates when sunlight mixes the layers of air.

“I expect (the fog) to kind of sink back down towards Redmond and maybe Bend tonight,” Evans said Monday.

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Bend is a top destination for travelers over Thanksgiving week

Bend is a top destination for travelers over Thanksgiving, according to a AAA survey, though most visitors come by car. Bass said the Redmond Airport sees a small jump in passengers during Thanksgiving, making planes more full but not necessarily increasing the number of flights.