Virginia, 2020

Dense Fog in Virginia, December 21, 2020

December 21, 2020 · NWS LWX · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

Dense fog developed early in the morning, with widespread visibility of 1/4 mile or below. Fog dissipated towards noon.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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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 LWX wrote it up.

Dense fog developed early in the morning, with widespread visibility of 1/4 mile or below. Fog dissipated towards noon.

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 Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 20, 9:29 PM EST, 6 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 20, 9:29 PM EST, 6 hours 31 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 21, 12:35 AM EST, 3 hours 25 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Western Loudoun

When
December 21, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Western Loudoun forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
39.091, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog developed early in the morning, with widespread visibility of 1/4 mile or below. Fog dissipated towards noon.

Dense Fog, Albemarle

When
December 21, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Albemarle forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.029, -78.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog developed early in the morning, with widespread visibility of 1/4 mile or below. Fog dissipated towards noon.

Dense Fog, Greene

When
December 21, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Greene forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.298, -78.467 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog developed early in the morning, with widespread visibility of 1/4 mile or below. Fog dissipated towards noon.

Dense Fog, Madison

When
December 21, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.414, -78.279 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog developed early in the morning, with widespread visibility of 1/4 mile or below. Fog dissipated towards noon.

Dense Fog, Rappahannock

When
December 21, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Rappahannock forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.685, -78.159 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog developed early in the morning, with widespread visibility of 1/4 mile or below. Fog dissipated towards noon.

Dense Fog, Orange

When
December 21, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Orange forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.246, -78.013 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog developed early in the morning, with widespread visibility of 1/4 mile or below. Fog dissipated towards noon.

Dense Fog, Culpeper

When
December 21, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Culpeper forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.486, -77.956 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog developed early in the morning, with widespread visibility of 1/4 mile or below. Fog dissipated towards noon.

Dense Fog, Prince William

When
December 21, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Prince William forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS

Dense fog developed early in the morning, with widespread visibility of 1/4 mile or below. Fog dissipated towards noon.

Dense Fog, Northern Fauquier

When
December 21, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Fauquier forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.739, -77.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog developed early in the morning, with widespread visibility of 1/4 mile or below. Fog dissipated towards noon.

Dense Fog, Southern Fauquier

When
December 21, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Fauquier forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.739, -77.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog developed early in the morning, with widespread visibility of 1/4 mile or below. Fog dissipated towards noon.

Dense Fog, Eastern Loudoun

When
December 21, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Loudoun forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
39.091, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog developed early in the morning, with widespread visibility of 1/4 mile or below. Fog dissipated towards noon.

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 Virginia in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, December 2020

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 935648, 935649, 935650, 935651, 935652, 935653, 935654, 935655, 935656, 935657, 935658.