The National Weather Service in Raleigh issued comprehensive safety guidelines on May 22, 2026, to help central North Carolina residents navigate severe weather and dense fog.
The advisory follows a recent alert for Duplin County warning of hazardous travel due to significantly reduced visibility.
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Understanding Watches and Warnings
The agency emphasizes the difference between a watch and a warning.
A watch means a significant but uncertain risk of severe weather, while a warning indicates hazardous conditions are imminent or occurring.
To prepare for storms, officials recommend clearing dead tree limbs from properties, as saturated soil makes trees fall easily.
Residents should assemble emergency kits containing power banks, flashlights, food, water, and prescription medications.
When lightning approaches, seek shelter immediately by leaving open areas like golf courses, sports fields, and beaches.
Driving in Dense Fog
For motorists encountering dense fog, the NWS advises reducing speed, using low-beam headlights or fog lights, maintaining safe following distances, and using road lane markings as a guide.
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If visibility drops near zero, drivers should activate hazard lights and pull over safely into a business parking area or as far off the road as possible.
Once parked on the roadside, deactivate all vehicle lights except hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to keep tail lights unlit.
"Patchy dense fog with visibilities of one quarter miles or less is expected in Duplin county early this morning.
If driving, slow down and leave extra distance ahead of you in case a sudden stop is needed.
Conditions will improve by 9 a. m.
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," the NWS stated.
