High pressure over the west coast brought stable conditions and areas of dense fog over the San Joaquin Valley on February 19-20, 2015. Dense fog began developing around midnight on February 19, becoming widespread by early morning particularly in from Merced to Madera and in the Hanford, Lemoore, and Visalia areas along Highway 198.
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.
The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.
High pressure over the west coast brought stable conditions and areas of dense fog over the San Joaquin Valley on February 19-20, 2015. Dense fog began developing around midnight on February 19, becoming widespread by early morning particularly in from Merced to Madera and in the Hanford, Lemoore, and Visalia areas along Highway 198. Several school districts reported bus delays. Several injury traffic accidents were also reported. There was also one fatality as a car collided with a pole in Visalia. The dense fog lifted around 1030 PST. Areas of dense fog redeveloped after 2300 PST on February 19 and persisted through 0900 PST on February 20. The fog was particularly dense in the Fresno and Lemoore areas where visibility was less than 1/8 mile, as well as in Kern county along Highway 99 where visibility less than 200 feet resulted in CHP pacing traffic along Highway 99 through and just north of Bakersfield. By mid morning of February 20, the dense fog lifted into a low stratus deck which persisted over the San Joaquin Valley through day and into the Saturday, February 21, 2015.
7 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.
Widespread visibility less than 1/4 mile in Kings county, including at the Hanford ASOS. Lemoore ASOS reported visibility of 1/16 mile. Several school districts had bus delays due to the dense fog. There was a fatality traffic accident when a Dodge truck collided with a pole in Visalia around 0400 PST on February 19.
Widespread visibility less than 1/4 mile in Kings county, including at the Hanford ASOS. Lemoore ASOS reported visibility of 1/16 mile. Several school districts had bus delays due to the dense fog.
Widespread visibility less than 1/4 mile, including at the Merced and Madera ASOS. Several school districts had bus delays due to the dense fog. There were several traffic collisions in which reduced visibility was a factor. Two of these collisions resulted on minor injuries. One injury occurred in a collision involving two vehicles near Kingsburg. The other injury occurred near Selma where a vehicle overturned.
Several school districts had bus delays due to the dense fog.
Widespread visibility less than 1/4 mile. Lemoore ASOS reported 1/16 mile for several hours.
Widespread visibility less than 1/4 mile. Fresno ASOS reported 1/8 mile for several hours resulting in airport delays.
Widespread visibility less than 1/4 mile. CHP pacing traffic along Highway 99 due to visibility less than 200 feet.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dense Fog, Se S.J. Valley | 2015-02-19 | 57 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 2015
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 560587, 560573, 560564, 560560, 560604, 560601, 560606.