Dense Fog In Austin Area Will Reduce Visibility To 1/4-Mile

AUSTIN, TX — Dense fog expected to descend to the Austin area Monday evening will extend into late Tuesday morning when it will reduce visibility to a quarter mile, meteorologists said.

The foggy conditions that developed Monday morning are expected to linger through the evening hours, with drizzle helping to reduce visibility to one to three miles. "Visibility will drop quickly later this evening with low viability and dense fog likely tonight," meteorologists wrote in issuing their hazardous weather outlook. "Be safe on the slick roads, and give other drivers a bit of extra distance."

In addition to Travis and Williamson counties, other areas affected by fog on Monday cover a wide swath that includes: Llano; Burnet; Val Verde; Edwards; Real; Kerr; Bandera; Gillespie; Kendall; Blanco; Hays; Bastrop; Lee; Kinney; Uvalde; Medina; Bexar; Comal; Guadalupe; Caldwell; Fayette; Maverick; Zavala; Frio; Atascosa; Wilson; Karnes; Gonzales; De Witt; Lavaca; and Dimmit.

The soupy mix will thicken by Tuesday morning, when visibility will be reduced to a mere 1/4 mile, according to meteorologists. Patchy conditions will usher in dense fog in many locations by Tuesday through midday, meteorologists warned.

The National Weather Service offers tips on driving in fog. Among the safety tips:

• 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.