A CAPT FLYING A B767; ON HIGH MINIMUMS IS UNABLE TO LAND AT IAD BECAUSE OF WX. CAPT DECLARES AN EMER IN ORDER TO OBTAIN PROPER ALTS FOR FUEL CONSUMPTION.

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GOING FROM LAX TO IAD. FLT LEAVING ON SEP/XA/97. WX FORECAST TO BE GOOD ALL MORNING. ACFT AHEAD OF US MADE A MISSED APCH DUE TO FOG. WE MADE A MISSED ALSO DUE TO FOG. BEING VECTORED FOR A DIFFERENT APCH; WX WENT BELOW LNDG MINIMUMS. HOLDING AT IAD; HAD TO TALK TO DISPATCH THROUGH IAD OPS DUE TO UNABLE TO CONTACT THEM ON OTHER FREQ. TOLD THEM WE HAD TO GO. THEY SAID TO GO TO BWI; FIRST ALTERNATE. BEING VECTORED FOR THE APCH; THE WX WENT DOWN. WE HEADED FOR OUR SECOND ALTERNATE (RDU). IAD OPS CALLED AND DISPATCH SAID WX SHOULD HOLD AND TO GO TO JFK. BEING HELD AT LOW TO MID ALT; TOLD CTR WE NEEDED HIGHER ALT AND DIRECT JFK. ALSO GETTING LOW ON FUEL. BEING KEPT LOW AND NEEDED PRIORITY WITH NO DELAYS; DECLARED AN EMER. THEY GAVE US HIGHER AND DIRECT TO JFK. CTR; APCH; AND TWR HANDLED US GREAT. EVERYONE INVOLVED DID A GREAT JOB. DUE TO THE RAPIDLY DETERIORATING WX THAT WAS OUR FORECAST; THERE WEREN'T MANY OPTIONS AVAILABLE. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TALK WITH DISPATCH DIRECTLY INSTEAD OF THROUGH OPS AT IAD.