Thick mist has lowered visibility on busy roads like the Chennai - Bengaluru Highway (NH 48) and Ranipet - Krishnagiri High Road (SH 24) in Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur, and Tiruvannamalai districts. This puts motorists at risk due to poor sight of vehicles. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) at Vellore says the early arrival of this dense mist is due to the lack of sea breeze, which usually reduces mist during monsoon in inland areas. "Coastal areas like Chennai have the advantage of sea breeze that reduces harsh cold weather during night. The intensity of cold weather will be felt much higher in January - February in inland areas like Vellore and surrounding districts," said N.A. Nehru Raj, meteorologist ‘A’ at Vellore Observatory. Mist forms when temperatures drop below the dew point, creating moisture and humidity. Places like Gudiyatham, Katpadi, Walajah, Arcot, Vaniyambadi, Tirupattur, Arani, Arakkonam, Tiruvannamalai, Cheyyar, and Vandavasi all report thick mist. This has affected traffic on major routes, making travel dangerous. Motorist B. Vinod said, "We have to depend on headlights of vehicles to get better visibility of vehicles on arterial stretches. Adequate safety measures like blinkers and reflectors should be placed on elevated corridors and bridges." According to meteorologists, mist reduces visibility up to 1.5 kilometers because of thick dust particles. After 9 a.m., haze takes over, improving visibility to about five kilometers until 11 a.m. Then the sun warms the area for a brighter afternoon. Fog is even more dangerous, lowering visibility to less than 500 meters. Meteorologists also noted that long nights and short days are now common, with sunset in Vellore and nearby places around 5:30 p.m., earlier than the previous 6:45 p.m., showing a clear change in weather patterns.