A report from the National Weather Service was issued on Monday at 6:41 a.m. for dense fog until 9:15 a.m. for Monroe, Conecuh, Butler, Crenshaw, Escambia and Covington counties.

“Patchy dense fog has developed across portions of south central Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle. This will impact portions of Interstate 10 and Highways 84 and 85 in localized stretches. Please exercise caution if driving in these locations this morning as visibilities may drop suddenly and remain changeable along the routes. Any dense fog should diminish within the next few hours with most locations experiencing improved visibilities after 9 a.m.,” according to the weather service.

Navigating fog: Safety tips by the weather service

If you must venture out in foggy conditions, keep these safety tips from the weather service in mind:

Reduce speed:

• Slow down and allocate extra time for your trip to reach your destination safely.

Visibility priority:

• 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:

• To ensure you are staying in the correct lane, use the road’s lane markings as a guide.

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 no designated parking area is available, pull your vehicle as far off the road as possible. Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights remain unlit, minimizing the chance of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.

By adhering to these weather service precautions, you can navigate foggy conditions more safely, reducing the likelihood of accidents and ensuring your personal safety.

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