Dense Fog — Central Sacramento Valley, California

2020-11-14 · Central Sacramento Valley, California

Event narrative

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported a 10 vehicle pile up in Butte County, along highway 99 between Gridley and Biggs Saturday morning. The report noted 5 big rigs and 5 passenger vehicles were involved, which forced the highway to be closed for several hours. 5 fatalities were reported with this event, with 2 of the fatalities being delayed; however, there are no detailed reports of injuries. CHP believes fog played a role in this accident.

Wider weather episode

Dense fog developed across the Sacramento and northern San Joaquin Valleys on November 14 and 15. Visibility reports were generally below a quarter mile for most reporting stations, which lead to treacherous driving conditions during the overnight and morning hours. On the morning of November 15, the Modesto Police and Fire Departments reported a vehicular accident around 4:30am and that 2 people were seriously injured. Foggy conditions were reported, but not necessarily deemed the reason for the crash.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 930946. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.