Dense fog formed in the Antelope Valley in Los Angeles County during the evening of January 31 and pushed northward into the Kern County Deserts by early morning on February 1. The fog impacted travel along State Route 58 north of Edwards AFB and in the Rosamond area.
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.
Dense fog formed in the Antelope Valley in Los Angeles County during the evening of January 31 and pushed northward into the Kern County Deserts by early morning on February 1. The fog impacted travel along State Route 58 north of Edwards AFB and in the Rosamond area.
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 31, 3:59 PM PST, 8 hours 1 minute earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA 359 PM PST Thu Jan 31 2019 .SYNOPSIS... The first in a series of weather systems is exiting the region this afternoon. Some patchy fog is possible across the San Joaquin Valley tonight into Saturday morning. A stronger system will move in Friday night and Saturday with significant precipitation and wind impacts expected. A third system will move through Sunday into early next week for more precipitation and lower snow levels. && .DISCUSSION...Satellite water vapor imagery shows a compact upper low sliding southeast along the coast, now just offshore from San Diego. A healthy plume of moister brought some moderate to heavy rainfall at times today, mostly in western Kern County. Rainfall amounts ranged one to three quarters of an inch in this area with nearly 1" measured in Taft. CHP reported some roadway flooding in western Kern County earlier today. Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect through 7 PM tonight for the Tehachapi mountains above 6000 feet. Radar showing most of the activity is now confined to the Desert in Kern County at this time. Expect this to taper off this evening as the upper low pulls farther away. There are some clearing skies across the San Joaquin Valley this afternoon, and we could see patchy fog develop overnight into Friday morning. The next system will be much stronger and will bring significant precipitation and wind impacts as a strong upper jet drives a plume of subtropical moisture towards the central California coast. Precip may arrive by sunset on Friday, but more likely later in the evening. Precip will increase in coverage and intensify late Friday night through Saturday. Heavy rain and mountain snow is likely. A Flash Flood Watch has been issued for the Sierra Nevada below 7000 feet and for the Sierra foothills from Friday evening through Saturday evening. 2-4 inches of rainfall is forecast with locally higher amounts possible. Recent burn scars will be most vulnerable with potential for mudslides, rockslides and debris flows. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for the Sierra Nevada beginning late Friday afternoon. Snow levels will be around 7000 feet during the bulk of the heavy snowfall through Saturday with up to 3 feet of new snow possible. Gusty winds will develop Friday evening with strong winds possible overnight into Saturday morning. A High Wind Watch is in effect for the Kern County Mountains and the San Joaquin Valley from Friday evening through Saturday morning. A third system will move in Sunday night and Monday and could even linger through Tuesday. This will be a much colder storm system with snow levels lowering to 3000-4000 feet on Monday. This will bring snow down into the foothills as well as the major passes in Kern County. Due to the cold air mass, there will not be as much moisture to work with. But any snow down to the pass levels will create hazardous travel conditions. Models currently indicate a dry pattern shaping up for the middle and end of next week. && .AVIATION... MVFR/IFR conditions possible in mist/fog across the San Joaquin Valley from 08z to 18z Friday. Otherwise, VFR conditions expected across the Central California Interior during the next 24 hours. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... None. && .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.html for additional information an/or to provide feedback. && .HNX Watches/Warnings/Advisories... Flash Flood Watch from Friday evening through Saturday evening CAZ093-094-096-097. Winter Storm Watch from Friday afternoon through Monday evening ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR THE CAZ096-097. Winter Weather Advisory until 7 PM PST this evening ABOVE 6000 FEET FOR THE CAZ095. High Wind Watch from Friday evening through Saturday morning CAZ089>092-095. && public...DCH avn/fw...Molina synopsis...DCH weather.gov/hanford
1 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.
Edwards Air Force Base reported visibility below a quarter mile at both the north and south runways. California Highway Patrol reported visibility down to 200 feet along State Route 58 north of the base and down to 500 feet in the Rosamond area. The fog dissipated by late morning.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 2019
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: 795122.