The National Weather Service issued a weather warning at 3:51 a.m. Friday for dense fog until 8 a.m. for the Westmoreland Ridges, Fayette Ridges and Higher Elevations of Indiana, as well as Mercer, Venango, Forest, Lawrence, Butler , Clarion, Jefferson, Beaver, Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington, Greene, Westmoreland, Fayette and Indiana counties.

“Areas of fog, locally dense, can be expected this morning. Visibility will be reduced to a quarter mile or less in some places. Use caution if traveling and be aware of rapid changes in visibility,” the weather service said.

Guidance from the weather service for navigating in foggy conditions

If you must drive through fog, remember these safety instructions:

Moderate your speed:

• Slow down and allow extra travel time to reach your destination safely.

Visibility matters:

• Make sure your vehicle it is visible to others using low beam headlights, which also activates your rear lights. If available, use fog lights.

Avoid high beam:

• Avoid using high beam headlights as they create glare that affects your visibility on the road.

Keep a safe distance:

• Maintain a significant following distance to account for sudden stops or changes in traffic patterns.

Stay in your lane:

• To make sure you stay in the correct lane, use the lane markings on the road as a guide.

Zero Visibility Protocol:

• In situations with near-zero visibility due to dense fog, activate your hazard lights and look for a safe location, such as a nearby business parking lot, to pull over and stop.

Limited parking options:

• If no parking area is available, pull the vehicle as far from the side of the road as possible. Once stationary, turn off all lights except the hazard lights, apply the emergency brake and release the brake pedal to ensure that the tail lights are not on, reducing the risk of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.

By following these weather service recommendations, you can navigate in foggy conditions more safely, reducing the risk of accidents and ensuring your well-being.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots that uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.