Hours after a massive pileup of vehicles shut down Highway 99 near Earlimart in dense tule fog, the southbound lanes were fully reopened, and Caltrans began directing northbound traffic on Cecil Avenue as of 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
The crash, which occurred in near-zero visibility shortly after 8:15 am, sent at least 10 people to local hospitals and left many drivers stranded while crews worked to clear the wreckage that stretched on both sides of the highway.
The California Highway Patrol began receiving calls shortly after 8:15 a.m., reporting multiple crashes on both the northbound and southbound lanes near Avenue 24. Officials say visibility at the time of the crash was 100 to 200 feet — the type of conditions CHP often describes as “sudden wall of white” events.
Initial reports suggested the pileup involved 150 vehicles, but authorities later revised the count to 59 after a close examination of the wreckage. As of 3 pm Saturday, there were no reports of deaths and only moderate injuries.
“Drivers were hitting fog so thick they couldn’t see the brake lights until it was too late,” authorities said.
Tow trucks, investigators, and Caltrans crews spent much of the morning and early afternoon clearing the wreckage from both sides of the freeway. While traffic has started to move again, the CHP warns of significant delays, especially to the north, where escorts remain in place, and cleanup is still ongoing.
Here’s what you need to know about the tule fog blanketing California’s Central Valley and the rash of accidents the fog has caused this season.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for more details.
A season defined by the fog: The valley’s communities are trapped since November
Saturday’s disaster comes in one of the longest and toughest tule fog seasons the Central Valley has seen in years. Since just before Thanksgiving, millions of Californians from Redding to Bakersfield have woken up to a blanket of fog and a milky, unmoving haze, with the National Weather Service issuing near-daily advisories.
Related: Tule fog derails 43 vehicles on Highway 58 near Bakersfield
Dense fog advisories remained in effect across wide swaths of the San Joaquin Valley on Friday and Saturday morning, including communities around Fresno, Visalia, Porterville, Delano and Bakersfield, where visibility repeatedly dropped below a quarter mile — and in some cases to mere feet.
Related: Tule fog engulfs California’s Central Valley with no relief in sight
A NASA satellite image captured on December 9 shows the Valley covered by a continuous cloud of tule fog that stretches more than 300 miles, the result of “perfect” atmospheric conditions that began to form around November 24 and persisted until the end of January.
Residents say this year’s fog will stop.
“It’s never lasted this long in my 57 years here,” Greg Clark of Redding told the Record Searchlight.
Meteorologists attribute the unusually persistent layer to a stalled high-pressure system that has trapped cold, moisture-rich air close to the ground, preventing the daily “burn-off” that often clears the fog by mid-morning.
Other recent fog-related crashes across the Central Valley
Saturday’s pileup is the biggest so far this winter – but it’s not the only one.
Law enforcement agencies say they responded to dozens of fog-related crashes in January alone, especially during the early morning commute.
Notable incidents this month include:
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A 17-vehicle crash in Fresno County on January 12th that killed a 61-year-old man after visibility dropped to 10–15 feet along Highway 99.
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Multiple crashes along Interstate 5 from northern Kern County through the Valley, where zero visibility conditions led to a “very high transport risk,” according to the National Weather Service.
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Commercial truck crashes on Highways 43 and 58 in Fresno and Kings counties in mid-January, including a fatal crash near Highway 99 and Clovis Avenue.
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Reduced visibility along I-80 and surrounding roads in the Sacramento Valley, where fog developed repeatedly overnight near river basins and agricultural corridors.
CHP officials say the pattern is clear: visibility suddenly dropped severely, drivers traveling too fast for the conditions, and people getting out of their vehicles on fog-covered roads – an extremely dangerous combination.
Why Tule Fog is so dangerous
Tule fog is a form of radiation fog, which forms when moist ground, cool nights, clear skies, and calm winds combine – conditions common in the Central Valley from November to February.
What made today’s fog particularly dangerous, according to forecasters:
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High pressure kept the fog attached to the surface
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Winds remained relatively calm overnight
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The overnight cooling deepened the atmospheric “cap”, preventing spreading
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Visibility changed from ¼-mile to a few dozen feet in a matter of seconds
“It’s the classic tule fog setup,” said NWS meteorologist Eric Kurth. “A great bowl of fog.”
Safety tips: How to drive in Tule Fog
For millions of Valley residents, avoiding the fog entirely isn’t always an option. But safety agencies say good habits can save lives.
If you want to drive:
Slow down – way down. Expect travel times to double or triple in heavy fog.
Use low beam headlights. High beams reflect water droplets and make visibility worse.
Follow the lane lines, not the taillights. Looking at road markings helps to maintain orientation.
Dramatically increase trailing distance. Give yourself several seconds of reaction time.
If driving becomes too dangerous:
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Pull into a parking lot or rest area if possible
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If no safe exit exists: pull over to the shoulder as far as possible, apply the brakes, keep your hazard lights on, and take your foot off the brake pedal to avoid attracting drivers who may mistake your lights for a lane marker.
When will the fog lift?
Unfortunately, forecasters say the Central Valley fog cycle isn’t finished.
Conditions could improve slightly by the end of next week as temperatures warm into the upper 60s — but unless a stronger storm system disrupts the stagnant air mass, tule fog is likely to continue to form overnight and into the early morning hours.
This article originally appeared on the Visalia Times-Delta: Highway 99 closed after vehicle gets lost in tule fog near Earlimart