Authorities hope to get back on the Mississippi River after the weather has hampered recent efforts to continue the search for two duck hunters missing since Dec. 3.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said Friday fog on the river has prevented boats from going on the river to continue the search.

“I think Thursday was the first full day we’ve missed,” he said.

The fog, he said, “Laid on the river. It was like a white wall and we just couldn’t get out.”

Pace said the reason boats have not gone out in foggy or rainy weather is problems with visibility.

“It’s just a safety issue with these small skiffs being so close to the water it’s very difficult to see commercial vessels and its hard for them to see us in the fog or if it’s raining,” he said. “It’s very hazardous on the river if the fog or rain reduces visibility.”

Deputies with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and agents with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks have searched the Mississippi River since late on Dec. 3 when Zeb Hughes, 21, from Wesson, and 16-year-old Gunner Palmer of Brookhaven did not return from a planned hunting trip and were reported missing by their families.

The search is more than midway into its second month and has at times been hampered by weather conditions that has included high winds and rain.