Dense Fog in California, February 16, 2016

Name: Dense Fog in California, February 16, 2016
Start: 2016-02-16T04:35
End: 2016-02-16T09:53
Location: California

February 16, 2016 · NWS HNX · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

Area of high pressure moved over the central California region creating favorable conditions for nighttime and early morning radiational fog development across the San Joaquin Valley.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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.

Area of high pressure moved over the central California region creating favorable conditions for nighttime and early morning radiational fog development across the San Joaquin Valley.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 16, 3:46 AM PST, 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 16, 3:46 AM PST, 49 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
346 AM PST TUE FEB 16 2016

.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE REGION TODAY RESULTING
IN ABOVE NORMAL DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES AS WELL AS EARLY MORNING
FOG. A STORM SYSTEM WILL IMPACT CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY AND
THURSDAY BRINGING MOUNTAIN SNOW...VALLEY RAIN...AND COOLER
TEMPERATURES. DRY WEATHER RETURNS FRIDAY AND CONTINUES THROUGH THE
WEEKEND.

&&

.DISCUSSION...PATCHY FOG DEVELOPED OVERNIGHT...WITH THE LOWEST
VISIBILITIES REPORTED NEAR MERCED AND HANFORD. VISIBILITIES ARE
FORECAST TO DROP THROUGH SUNRISE...SIMILAR TO CONDITIONS OBSERVED
THE PAST FEW MORNINGS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE VISIBILITY
TRENDS CLOSELY...AND MAY END UP ISSUING A DENSE FOG ADVISORY IF
CONDITIONS WARRANT.

UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE OVER CALIFORNIA
THROUGH THIS EVENING...WITH DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES WARMING INTO
THE MID TO UPPER 70S THROUGH THE VALLEY...FOOTHILL...AND DESERT
LOCATIONS. THESE TEMPERATURES ARE BETWEEN 10 AND 15 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL FOR THE MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY.

A WINTER STORM IS STILL ON TRACK TO IMPACT CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS AN UPPER LOW DROPS SOUTH TOWARD THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST COASTLINE FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA. PRECIPITATION
WILL SPREAD SOUTH INTO THE NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND CENTRAL
SIERRA NEVADA ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...CONTINUING SOUTH THROUGH
THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY BY
EARLY THURSDAY MORNING.

SNOW LEVELS WITH THE ONSET OF PRECIPITATION IN THE SIERRA NEVADA
WILL GENERALLY HOVER AROUND 8,000 FEET. BY THURSDAY MORNING SNOW
LEVELS WILL DROP TO AROUND 5,000 TO 6,000 FEET. HOWEVER...THE BULK
OF THE PRECIPITATION IS FORECAST TO FALL BEFORE SNOW LEVELS
DROP...SO MOST LOCATIONS BELOW 7,000 FEET ARE ONLY FORECAST TO
RECEIVE A FEW INCHES OF SNOW. LOCATIONS ABOVE 8,000 FEET FROM
KINGS CANYON NORTHWARD WILL GENERALLY SEE AROUND A FOOT OF
SNOW...WITH ISOLATED AREAS NEAR YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK RECEIVING
CLOSE TO 2 FEET OF SNOW. LOCATIONS SOUTH OF KINGS CANYON IN THE
SIERRA NEVADA ABOVE 8,000 FEET ARE FORECAST TO RECEIVE BETWEEN 4
AND 8 INCHES OF SNOW.

RAIN ACCUMULATION ACROSS THE VALLEY WILL GENERALLY RANGE FROM A
TENTH OF AN INCH TO A THIRD OF AN INCH...WHILE THE FOOTHILLS ARE
FORECAST TO RECEIVE BETWEEN A HALF INCH TO JUST OVER AN INCH OF
RAIN. MEDIUM FORECAST CONFIDENCE FOR ACCUMULATION OF BOTH RAIN
AND SNOW...AS ANY SUBTLE CHANGE WITH THE STORM TRACK WILL GREATLY
IMPACT LOCATION OF THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION. PLEASE CONTINUE TO
MONITOR THE FORECAST FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS CHANGE IN
THE WEATHER PATTERN.

THE UPPER TROUGH WILL QUICKLY MOVE EAST INTO NEVADA AND UTAH
THURSDAY AFTERNOON RESULTING IN ZONAL FLOW OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND. A SUBTLE WARMING TREND WILL BE PRESENT
OVER THE REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND...HOWEVER MUCH MORE
SIGNIFICANT WARMING WILL TAKE PLACE EARLY NEXT WEEK AS HIGH
PRESSURE BEGINS TO BUILD OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC.

&&

.AVIATION...
IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...AREAS OF MVFR IN HAZE WITH LOCAL
IFR/LIFR IN MIST/FOG POSSIBLE THRU 18Z TUESDAY. OTHERWISE...VFR
CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE CENTRAL CA INTERIOR DURING THE
NEXT 24 HOURS.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
ON TUESDAY FEBRUARY 16 2016... UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS IN
FRESNO... KINGS AND TULARE COUNTIES.  FIREPLACE/WOOD STOVE BURNING
STATUS IS: NO BURNING UNLESS REGISTERED IN FRESNO... KERN...
KINGS... MADERA... MERCED AND TULARE COUNTIES.
FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT VALLEYAIR.ORG

&&

.CERTAINTY...

THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY FOR DAYS 1 AND 2 IS HIGH.
THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY FOR DAYS 3 THROUGH 7 IS MEDIUM.

CERTAINTY LEVELS INCLUDE LOW...MEDIUM...AND HIGH. PLEASE VISIT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HNX/CERTAINTY.PHP /ALL LOWER CASE/ FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND/OR TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK.

&&

.CLIMATE...
             RECORDS
SITE DATE    HI_MAX:YEAR LO_MAX:YEAR HI_MIN:YEAR LO_MIN:YEAR

KFAT 02-16       80:1943     48:1956     56:1957     27:1956
KFAT 02-17       84:1930     47:1890     57:1986     29:1956
KFAT 02-18       84:1930     49:1969     59:1986     27:1889

KBFL 02-16       88:1902     46:1919     55:1982     22:1903
KBFL 02-17       85:1930     44:1932     56:1968     24:1903
KBFL 02-18       87:1930     49:1990     58:1993     27:1903
&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER STORM WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY
AFTERNOON CAZ096.

&&

PUBLIC...RILEY
AVN/FW...DCH
SYNOPSIS...RILEY

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 15, 5:40 AM PST, 22 hours 55 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
540 AM PST MON FEB 15 2016

CAZ096-161330-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
540 AM PST MON FEB 15 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON.

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF
THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA.

...WINTER WEATHER RETURNS...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

* TIMING: SNOW RETURNING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY TO
  THE HIGH SIERRA.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 5 TO 15 INCHES POSSIBLE. HIGHEST AMOUNTS IN
  YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK.

* ELEVATION: STARTING OUT ABOVE 8000 FEET WEDNESDAY
  AFTERNOON...LOWERING TO AROUND 7000 FEET WEDNESDAY EVENING THEN
  LOWERING TO NEAR 5000 FEET BY THURSDAY MORNING.

* LOCATIONS INCLUDE: YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK...SIERRA NATIONAL
  FOREST...KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK.

* IMPACTS: RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKERS AND
  BACKPACKERS. SNOW CAUSING POSSIBLE ROAD CLOSURES AND DANGEROUS
  TRAVELING CONDITIONS.

* STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS
  SOURCE...FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR
UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

CAZ097-161330-
TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
540 AM PST MON FEB 15 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE TULARE COUNTY
MOUNTAINS.

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF
THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA.

...WINTER WEATHER RETURNS...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

* TIMING: SNOW RETURNING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY TO
  THE HIGH SIERRA.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 3 TO 10 INCHES POSSIBLE.

* ELEVATION: STARTING OUT ABOVE 8000 FEET WEDNESDAY
  AFTERNOON...LOWERING TO AROUND 7000 FEET WEDNESDAY EVENING THEN
  LOWERING TO NEAR 5000 FEET BY MID DAY THURSDAY.

* LOCATIONS INCLUDE: SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK...SEQUOIA NATIONAL
  FOREST.

* IMPACTS: RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR HIKERS AND
  BACKPACKERS. SNOW CAUSING POSSIBLE ROAD CLOSURES AND DANGEROUS
  TRAVELING CONDITIONS.

* STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS
  SOURCE...FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR
UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

BEAN

Event by event

6 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, E Central S.J. Valley

When: February 16, 4:35 AM PST to 6:15 AM PST
Where: E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

At 04:35 PST the Merced/Castle Airport (KMER) AWOS reported visibility less than 1/4 mile.

Dense Fog, Sw S.J. Valley

When: February 16, 5:19 AM PST to 9:53 AM PST
Where: Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS

At 05:19 PST the Hanford Airport (KHJO) ASOS reported visibility less than 1/4 mile.

Dense Fog, Sw S.J. Valley

When: February 16, 5:19 AM PST to 9:53 AM PST
Where: Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement

At 06:25 PST the CHP reported that they were conducting pacing on State Route 198 between State Route 43 and the Kings/Tulare County border.

Dense Fog, Sw S.J. Valley

When: February 16, 5:19 AM PST to 9:53 AM PST
Where: Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media

At 06:30 PST reports of several school districts opening late due to the dense fog.

Dense Fog, Se S.J. Valley

When: February 16, 5:56 AM PST to 7:56 AM PST
Where: Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS

At 05:56 PST the Visalia Airport (KVIS) AWOS reported visibility less than 1/4 mile.

Dense Fog, Se S.J. Valley

When: February 16, 5:56 AM PST to 7:56 AM PST
Where: Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media

At 06:30 PST received reports of several school districts opening late due to dense fog.

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

Every storm in California in 2016 Every state in 2016 This day in weather history Warnings in California, February 2016

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 618333, 618354, 618355, 618356, 618357, 618358.