Dense Fog — Greater Phoenix Area, Arizona

2017-12-17 · Greater Phoenix Area, Arizona

Event narrative

Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms moved east across portions of south central Arizona during the morning hours and they resulted in patchy dense fog and low clouds over higher terrain areas to the east of Phoenix. According to a report from the general public, at about 0900MST, near zero visibility in dense fog occurred along Highway 87 near the Maricopa/Gila County border. The dense fog was also located about 3 miles to the northeast of the town of Sunflower. Fortunately, no accidents resulted as a result of the sharply reduced visibility. A Dense Fog Advisory was not issued, and the times of the dense fog were estimated.

Wider weather episode

Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms developed across portions of south central Arizona during the early morning hours on December 17th. As the showers moved east, they produced areas of low clouds and fog that affected the higher terrain to the east of Phoenix, including communities such as Sunflower and Superior. Dense fog occurred for a brief period near the Maricopa/Gila County border, affecting motorists on Highway 87. A member of the public reported that visibility had dropped to near zero miles due to the dense fog and low clouds. No accidents were reported due to the sharply reduced visibility.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 728133. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.