The foggy start for northerners has been slow to clear for some more inland, sheltered areas this Friday afternoon.

While the patchy fog was pea soup thick at times in Auckland this morning it cleared around late morning. 

However fog lingers in some other areas inland, like parts of Waikato where at mid-afternoon fog is only clearing some areas.

The 2:30pm satellite map (courtesy of the Japanese Meteorological Agency) shows some low cloud and fog in the North Island (circled in orange). Plenty of sunny weather around it though now.

As WeatherWatch.co.nz exclusively forecast on Thursday PM, fog was heavy enough to impact air travellers in the North Island on Friday morning with Air New Zealand confirming this morning a handful of airports were affected.

The good news is that now that the northerly breeze from the sub-tropics is kicking in the fog should lift elsewhere.

Fog is not expected tonight, at least not widespread of around our airports. As winds continue to build over the next 24 hours, becoming blustery on Saturday in exposed parts of the North Island, fog will be even less likely.

– WeatherWatch.co.nz