OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Most of us consider ourselves pretty good drivers.  That is until we encounter a thick fog bank.

Fog can be dangerous for drivers, boaters, and pilots. It causes many travel accidents each year. Reduced visibility from fog can affect how pilots take off and land, leading to delays in flights.

With fog expected to creep into the 352 the next few mornings, the National Weather Service (NWS) offers a few tips on how to navigate through it.

  • 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 taillights are not illuminated so that other drivers don’t mistakenly run into you.
Ocala Forecast

Here’s your day-by-day outlook from the NWS.

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4 p.m. Patchy fog before 11 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. Heat index values as high as 100. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night: A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8 p.m. Patchy fog after 5 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Light northeast wind.

Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 90. Heat index values as high as 102. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday Night: A 30% chance of showers before 8 pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Light northeast wind.

Sunday: A 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Sunday Night: A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.

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