Dense Fog, Sw S.J. Valley
- When
- December 10, 5:15 AM PST to December 12, 10:00 PM PST
- Where
- Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Dense Fog in California, December 10 to 12, 2002
Dense fog, more widespread, again returned to the South San Joaquin Valley early on the morning of the 10th, extended to the Central Valley on the mornings of the 11th and 12th, and occurred briefly on the evening of the 12th. Driving visibilities on the 11th and 12th were particularly low with less than 100 feet reported by law enforcement in several locations.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.
Dense fog, more widespread, again returned to the South San Joaquin Valley early on the morning of the 10th, extended to the Central Valley on the mornings of the 11th and 12th, and occurred briefly on the evening of the 12th. Driving visibilities on the 11th and 12th were particularly low with less than 100 feet reported by law enforcement in several locations. There were at least 7 vehicle collisions around the Visalia area of Tulare County on the morning of the 11th. The unusual disruption of the fog after its formation during the evening hours on the 12th was due to on oncoming frontal system. There were five accidents indirectly caused by the fog on the morning of the 10th in Tulare and Kings Counties leaving 8 injured.
Event by event
4 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.
Dense Fog, Se S.J. Valley
- When
- December 10, 5:15 AM PST to December 12, 10:00 PM PST
- Where
- Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Dense Fog, W Central S.J. Valley
- When
- December 11, 4:53 AM PST to December 12, 10:00 PM PST
- Where
- W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Dense Fog, E Central S.J. Valley
- When
- December 11, 4:53 AM PST to December 12, 10:00 PM PST
- Where
- E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
What these are
- Dense Fog
- Fog reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less, filed where it caused accidents or disruption.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Ice Storm in Pennsylvania, December 10 to 11, 2002
- High Wind in Oregon, December 10 to 11, 2002
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind in Gulf of Mexico, December 10, 2002
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind in Gulf of Mexico, December 10, 2002
- High Wind in Oregon, December 10, 2002
- High Wind in Alaska, December 10, 2002
- Winter Storm in Alaska, December 10 to 11, 2002
- Heavy Rain in Hawaii, December 10 to 11, 2002
- Winter Storm in Hawaii, December 10 to 11, 2002
More
Every storm in California in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2002
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5324649, 5324650, 5324647, 5324648.