Freezing Fog Advisory in Effect for PNW Roads

So it begins. Winter weather has arrived in the PNW. Are you prepared? The National Weather Service in Pendleton has issued a Freezing Fog Advisory for roads in Washington and Oregon.

Freezing fog will affect motorists traveling across the John Day Basin, Southern Blue Mountains, North-Central Oregon and Central Oregon. Visibility as low as one-quarter mile or less is expected.

Patchy freezing drizzle will create icy conditions on roadways, especially bridges and overpasses.

Freezing fog can cause black ice to form on roadways. Black ice is difficult to see and so particularly dangerous. Drive more slowly when you suspect icy conditions.

If you must travel in freezing fog, keep the following tips in mind:

• 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.

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