California, 2014

Dense Fog in California, December 21 to 24, 2014

December 21 to 24, 2014 · NWS HNX · 11 events in 4 counties and zones

High pressure helped create stable conditions in the San Joaquin Valley. After the recent rain, the stable conditions led to dense fog formation during the early morning hours on December 21, again on the morning of December 23 and December 24.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

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.

High pressure helped create stable conditions in the San Joaquin Valley. After the recent rain, the stable conditions led to dense fog formation during the early morning hours on December 21, again on the morning of December 23 and December 24. The fog covered much of the central and southern San Joaquin Valley with visibility less than 1/4 mile. In some areas, visibility fell to less than 200 feet. The dense fog impacted the morning commute, including airline traffic at the Fresno-Yosemite International Airport where visibility dropped to 1/16 of a mile on December 21 and 1/8 mile for a few hours on December 23. Several minor accidents were reported by the CHP, but no known injuries.

Event by event

11 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Sw S.J. Valley

When
December 21, 12:01 AM PST to 9:00 AM PST
Where
Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet

Dense Fog, E Central S.J. Valley

When
December 21, 2:53 AM PST to 9:00 AM PST
Where
E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet

Dense Fog, Se S.J. Valley

When
December 21, 3:15 AM PST to 10:00 AM PST
Where
Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Official NWS Observations

Dense Fog, W Central S.J. Valley

When
December 21, 3:33 AM PST to 9:00 AM PST
Where
W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement

Dense Fog, Se S.J. Valley

When
December 23, 3:25 AM PST to 8:30 AM PST
Where
Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet

Dense Fog, Sw S.J. Valley

When
December 23, 3:53 AM PST to 10:00 AM PST
Where
Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet

Dense Fog, E Central S.J. Valley

When
December 23, 6:45 AM PST to 9:00 AM PST
Where
E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet

Dense Fog, W Central S.J. Valley

When
December 23, 7:52 AM PST to 9:00 AM PST
Where
W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement

Dense Fog, W Central S.J. Valley

When
December 24, 7:55 AM PST to 8:30 AM PST
Where
W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet

Dense Fog, Sw S.J. Valley

When
December 24, 7:55 AM PST to 9:00 AM PST
Where
Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet

Dense Fog, Se S.J. Valley

When
December 24, 7:55 AM PST to 8:30 AM PST
Where
Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet

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 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2014

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: 550687, 550686, 550688, 550685, 550692, 550691, 550690, 550689, 550693, 550694, 550695.