California, 2009

Dense Fog in California, June 11, 2009

June 11, 2009 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Dense fog in the San Bernardino mountains and deserts resulted in multiple car accidents. Two pileups occurred in the Cajon Pass along the northbound side of Interstate 15.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
15
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 SGX wrote it up.

Dense fog in the San Bernardino mountains and deserts resulted in multiple car accidents. Two pileups occurred in the Cajon Pass along the northbound side of Interstate 15. At least 30 vehicles were involved, and 15 injuries were reported.

Along Highway 18 near Mile Marker 28, two related accidents occurred in the dense fog, resulting in one indirect death.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, San Bernardino County Mountains

When
June 11, 2:40 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
Where
San Bernardino County Mountains forecast zone
Deaths
0 direct, 1 indirect
Injuries
0 direct, 15 indirect
Reported by
Newspaper
Coordinates
34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A chain reaction car accident occurred around 0630 PST when a tractor-trailer came around a bend along northbound Interstate 15 near Oak Hills Road and swerved to avoid slowed traffic ahead. A second pileup occurred shortly afterward about one-quarter mile south of the first accident as traffic slowed for the first accident. Approximately 30 vehicles were involved in the two pileups, resulting in 15 injuries, two of which were critical.

A second set of accidents occurred along Highway 18 near mile marker 28. A 60 year old male was entering the highway when he collided with oncoming traffic. Less than 20 minutes later, a school bus was stopped just East of the first accident when it was hit by a truck. Another vehicle then ran into the truck. The 60 year old male suffered cardiac arrest when the accident occurred and died in the hospital two days later. No other injuries were reported.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Dense Fog, San Bernardino County Mountains2009-06-1360MaleOtherIndirect

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

More

Every storm in California in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in California, June 2009

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: 178606.