On Monday at 4:56 a.m. a dense fog advisory was issued by the NWS Fort Worth TX. The advisory is for Montague, Cooke, Grayson, Fannin, Jack, Wise, Denton, Collin, Hunt, Palo Pinto, Parker, Tarrant, Dallas, Rockwall, Kaufman, Erath, Hood, Somervell, Johnson, Ellis, Hamilton, Bosque, Hill, Lampasas, Coryell, Bell and McLennan counties.
Visibility one quarter mile or less in dense fog for portions of north central Texas until 9 a.m. this morning. The NWS adds, “The fog is patchy, resulting in rapid changes in visibility over a short distance. If you encourer a fog bank, plese allow plenty of room between you and other vehicles.”
“Poor driving conditions are expected due to reduced visibility,” explains the NWS. “A Dense Fog Advisory means visibilities will be reduced to less than one quarter mile. If driving, slow down, use your low-beam headlights, and leave plenty of distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you.”
This advisory is in effect until 9 a.m.
Driving in foggy conditions
A dense fog advisory is issued by your local National Weather Service office when widespread dense fog develops. When this happens, visibilities frequently drop to one-quarter of a mile or less. These conditions make travel difficult. Take extra caution when on the road or avoid driving if possible.
If you must drive in foggy conditions, keep the following safety tips in mind:
• Slow down and allow extra time to reach your destination.
• Make your vehicle visible to others both ahead of you and behind you by using your low-beam headlights since this means your taillights will also be on. Use fog lights if you have them.
• Never use your high-beam lights. Using high-beam lights causes glare, making it more difficult for you to see what’s ahead of you on the road.
• Leave plenty of distance between you and the vehicle in front of you to account for sudden stops or changes in the traffic pattern.
• To ensure you are staying in the proper lane, follow the lines on the road with your eyes.
• In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to first turn on your hazard lights, then simply pull into a safe location such as a parking lot of a local business, and stop.
• If there is no parking lot or driveway to pull into, pull your vehicle off to the side of the road as far as possible. Once you come to a stop, turn off all lights except your hazard flashing lights, set the emergency brake, and take your foot off of the brake pedal to be sure the tail lights are not illuminated so that other drivers don’t mistakenly run into you.
Source: The National Weather Service