Dense Fog — Orange County Coastal Areas, California

2011-12-29 to 2011-12-31 · Orange County Coastal Areas, California

Event narrative

The John Wayne Airport ASOS reported visibility of less than one-quarter mile from 2318 PST on the 29th through 0439 PST on the morning of the 30th. Visibility of one-eighth of a mile was reported from 2229 to 2317 PST on the night of the 30th and again on the morning of the 31st from 0553 to 0652 PST and from 0721 to 0947 PST. Visibility of one-eighth of a mile was again reported the evening of the 31st from 1823 to 1852 PST and again from 2053 to 2352 PST.

The Newport Beach lifeguards also reported visibility of less than 100 yards on the morning of the 31st.

Wider weather episode

A shallow marine layer resulted in areas of dense fog along the coastal areas in Orange County, the San Diego coastal mesas and the Western San Diego County valleys. Visibility was a below a quarter mile in many locations for several hours in the overnight and early morning periods from the 29th through the 31st. Operations at John Wayne and San Diego International Airports were impacted for several hours both nights.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 356798. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.