Dense Fog — Merced and Madera, California

2021-01-14 to 2021-01-15 · Merced and Madera, California

Event narrative

Merced and Madera reported visibility below a quarter mile. Several school districts either opened late or delayed or cancelled bus service due to dense fog.

Wider weather episode

Strong high pressure remained over central California on January 14. Areas of fog developed in the San Joaquin Valley during the evening of January 14 with clear skies, light winds and inversion conditions present. The fog spread southward during the early morning of January 15 and impacted the central portion of the San Joaquin Valley mainly from State Route 198 northward and resulted in several school districts either opening late or delaying or cancelling bus service as visibility was reduced to a few hundred feet in some locations. The fog lifted into a low cloud deck by late morning which dissipated by early afternoon.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 929020. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.