A weather alert was issued by the National Weather Service on Tuesday at 10:21 p.m. for dense fog until Wednesday at 2 a.m. for Marion, Williamsburg, Horry and Georgetown counties.
“Patchy dense fog may affect your local travels across the Bi-State region tonight into early Wednesday morning. Motorists may experience these pockets of dense fog with rapidly changing visibilities likely. When encountering the fog, immediately slow down, use your low beam headlights and allow extra braking distance between you and the vehicle ahead. Drier and cooler air under northerly winds, behind the cold frontal passage earlier in the night, will finally infiltrate the area, helping to mix out the fog during the pre-dawn Wednesday hours,” according to the weather service.
This alert is in effect until Wednesday at 2 a.m.
Navigating fog: Safety tips by the weather service
If you must drive in foggy conditions, keep the following safety tips in mind:
Reduce speed:Slow down and allow extra travel time to reach your destination safely.
Visibility matters:Ensure your vehicle is visible to others by using low-beam headlights, which also activate your taillights. If available, employ your fog lights.
Avoid high-beams:Refrain from using high-beam headlights, as they create glare that impairs your visibility on the road.
Keep a safe distance:Keep a considerable following distance to account for sudden stops or shifts in traffic patterns.
Stay in your lane:Use the road’s lane markings as a guide to staying in the correct lane.
Visibility near zero:In cases of near-zero visibility due to dense fog, activate your hazard lights and seek a safe spot, like a nearby business parking lot, to pull over and stop.
Limited parking options: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.
By adhering to these precautions from the weather service, you can navigate foggy conditions more safely, reducing the likelihood of accidents and ensuring your personal safety.
