NY weather: Weather alert issued for fog in New York Monday morning

At 4:38 a.m. on Monday, the National Weather Service issued a weather notice for Erie, Genesee, Wyoming, Chautauqua, and Cattaraugus counties, stating that fog will persist until 7 a.m.

“As warmer air mixes with snow on the ground, patches of fog have formed over the region early this morning. As a result, there will occasionally be less than a half mile of visibility. Roads may get slick in certain places because of the surface temperatures that are still around or slightly below freezing. The weather service advises drivers to slow down and be ready for sudden changes in visibility early morning.

Navigating fog: Safety tips by the weather service

The following safety advice should be kept in mind if you must drive in foggy conditions:

Slow down:

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

Priority for visibility:

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  Ensure your vehicle is visible to others by using low-beam headlights, which also activate your taillights. If you have fog lights, use them.
  

Steer clear of high beams:

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  Refrain from using high-beam headlights, as they create glare that impairs your visibility on the road.
  

Stay away:

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  Leave a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you to account for sudden stops or changes in the traffic pattern.
  

Remain in your lane:

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  Use the road’s lane markings as a guide to remaining in the correct lane.
  

Strategy for zero visibility:

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  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.
  

Restricted parking possibilities

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  If no parking area is available, pull your vehicle as far to the roadside as possible. Once stationary, turn off all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights are not illuminated, reducing the risk of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.
  

Following these weather service guidelines will help you drive more safely in foggy conditions, lowering your chance of an accident and protecting your health.

United Robots offers a service called Advance Local Weather Alerts that gathers the most recent information from the National Weather Service using machine learning.