Mercer

... Patchy fog this morning...

Patchy fog has developed across the area this morning. Some
locally dense fog will occur with visibilities less than one mile
will occur. The fog will begin to burn off by around 8 am.

Drivers are urged to use caution while driving. Be prepared for
reduced visibility in spots and leave plenty of room between your
vehicle and the one ahead of you.

... National safe boating week may 18 through may 24...

This is the fourth in a daily series of messages produced by the
partnered National Weather Service and National safe boating Council.

To know the weather while on the water... you should have a vhf
receiver with built in NOAA Weather Radio channels. If you venture
beyond the 25 nautical mile range of shore... consider buying a good
hf single sideband transceiver and satellite phone.

Understanding the marine forecast is critical to safe boating.
Winds... waves and weather can change suddenly... catching boaters off
guard and creating life threatening conditions.

When checking the weather... note whether there are any advisories or
warnings posted... which alert mariners to various wind and wave
conditions that can be hazardous for marine travel.

Special marine warnings are issued for a sudden increase in winds to
34 knots - 39 mph... hail three quarters of an inch in diameter or
even waterspouts.

Marine weather statements bring attention to significant rapidly
changing weather conditions on the water including gusty winds... non
severe thunderstorms... limited visibility in fog... or infrequently
can highlight a distant approaching major storm three to five days
in advance of its arrival.

Before setting out... obtain the latest marine forecast and warning
information from www.Weather.Gov/marine or NOAA Weather Radio.
Several days ahead of time you can begin listening for extended
outlooks which give general information out to the next 65
days... also found on the web in both graphical and text format at
www.Weather.Gov/phi.