California, 2016

Dense Fog in California, January 20 to 22, 2016

January 20 to 22, 2016 · NWS HNX · 13 events in 4 counties and zones

Ample soil moisture and clear and calm night resulted in fog development across the San Joaquin Valley on the 20th and 21st of January.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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.

Ample soil moisture and clear and calm night resulted in fog development across the San Joaquin Valley on the 20th and 21st of January.

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 Jan 20, 2:53 AM PST, 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 20, 2:53 AM PST, 36 minutes before
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Event by event

13 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Sw S.J. Valley

When
January 20, 3:29 AM PST to 4:29 AM PST
Where
Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

KNLC reported less than 1/4 mile visibility.

Dense Fog, Sw S.J. Valley

When
January 20, 3:53 AM PST to 4:29 AM PST
Where
Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

KHJO reported less than 1/4 mile visibility.

Dense Fog, E Central S.J. Valley

When
January 20, 4:15 AM PST to 5:35 AM PST
Where
E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS

KMER reported less than 1/4 mile visibility.

Dense Fog, Sw S.J. Valley

When
January 20, 10:06 PM PST to January 22, 8:30 AM PST
Where
Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

KNLC reported 1/16 mile visibility.

Dense Fog, Sw S.J. Valley

When
January 20, 10:53 PM PST to January 22, 8:30 AM PST
Where
Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

KHJO reported less than a 1/4 mile visibility.

Dense Fog, Se S.J. Valley

When
January 20, 10:56 PM PST to January 22, 8:30 AM PST
Where
Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS

KVIS reported less than a 1/4 mile visibility.

Dense Fog, W Central S.J. Valley

When
January 21, 1:15 AM PST to January 22, 8:30 AM PST
Where
W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Public

At 0600 PST, several school districts in Western Fresno County reported that they were delaying schools due to dense fog.

Dense Fog, E Central S.J. Valley

When
January 21, 1:15 AM PST to 10:00 AM PST
Where
E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS

KMER reported less than 1/4 mile visibility.

Dense Fog, E Central S.J. Valley

When
January 21, 2:15 AM PST to 10:00 AM PST
Where
E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS

KFCH reported less than 1/4 mile visibility.

Dense Fog, E Central S.J. Valley

When
January 21, 3:16 AM PST to 10:00 AM PST
Where
E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

KMCE reported less than 1/4 mile visibility.

Dense Fog, E Central S.J. Valley

When
January 21, 3:43 AM PST to 10:00 AM PST
Where
E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

KFAT reported 1/8 mile visibility.

Dense Fog, Se S.J. Valley

When
January 21, 3:56 AM PST to January 22, 8:30 AM PST
Where
Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

KPTV reported less than a 1/4 mile visibility.

Dense Fog, E Central S.J. Valley

When
January 21, 7:53 AM PST to 10:00 AM PST
Where
E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

KMAE reported less than a 1/4 mile visibility.

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 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 617010, 617011, 617009, 617018, 617019, 617020, 617012, 617013, 617014, 617015, 617016, 617022, 617017.