How bad is Tule fog? (Los Angeles, Fresno: living in, buses, to move)

[Elipar]

I lived in Fresno for a couple of months a decade ago, Dec and Jan. In that time, I did experience Tule fog, but didn't think it was horrible. There were sections where I might have slowed to 40, but probably was going 65+ most of the time. On the net though, I'm reading about people slowing to 5 mph... Is this real or are some people just being overly cautious? I have to go from Modesto to Los Angeles twice a week, once in the evening around 6pm. Is the fog pretty heavy in the late evening, or is it mostly heavy in the early hours? Is there an alternate route that doesn't suffer as much heavy fog? Does Greyhound run when the fog is thick? Thanks.

[oakread2]

The tule fog is worse out in the country, where there is more open area for the vapors to rise from. Highway 99 can get bad in some places, but not horrible. The fog is heaviest in the morning when the sun is coming up. I don't recall ever seeing any in the evening.

[Hemlock140]

We were once on Highway 10 going east around Indio about 10pm and actually had to pull over the fog was so thick. We waited until a truck went by and followed his tail lights for a good 60 miles before we could see the road again.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I lived in Davis and worked both in Sacto and Woodland. The fog was usually bad only in the mornings. But, it was bad enough you had to move incredibly slowly, and rely on the headlights in front of you. I lived in Sacto and commuted to Woodland. Then I lived in Davis and commuted to Sacto. Then commuted from Davis to Woodland. The fog is a serious pain in the butt. You have to account time for it. It will burn off, though, usually, every day. Just means a longer commute in the a.m. usually.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

We were once on Highway 10 going east around Indio about 10pm and actually had to pull over the fog was so thick. We waited until a truck went by and followed his tail lights for a good 60 miles before we could see the road again.

We experienced the same thing many times, living in the San Gabriel Valley: even in other parts of Los Angeles and driving up the old highway 99 toward the central part of the state. I am surprised when I hear someone say, oh, they only had to slow to about 40 MPH. Of course it isn't constant and some years it is worse than others, but it can be really awful. How about the pileups involving 100 cars some years?

[JustPassinThru]

Originally Posted by Elipar

I lived in Fresno for a couple of months a decade ago, Dec and Jan. In that time, I did experience Tule fog, but didn't think it was horrible. There were sections where I might have slowed to 40, but probably was going 65+ most of the time. On the net though, I'm reading about people slowing to 5 mph... Is this real or are some people just being overly cautious? I have to go from Modesto to Los Angeles twice a week, once in the evening around 6pm. Is the fog pretty heavy in the late evening, or is it mostly heavy in the early hours? Is there an alternate route that doesn't suffer as much heavy fog? Does Greyhound run when the fog is thick? Thanks.

The density of the fog depends upon the temperature and wind conditions. I have been able to travel through it at various speeds - sometimes very fast, while other times when travelling at 5 mph I've pulled off the highway for fear of getting rear-ended. I've followed trucks in the evening at 70 mph while just 30' behind them, but I've kind of gotten used to living and haven't done this lately. On one occasion the condensation formed icicles on my grill, the car overheated, and I had to stop.

The main thing to remember is that the visibility can change abruptly, so you can never be too cautious.

ETA: The tule fog can be very bad in the late evening on your LA run, and there isn't a good alternate route. However, the buses continue to run throughout the tule fog season, providing you with another option.

[krudmonk]

It's horrible on rural 5 when most people are inclined to go 80+.

[johninvegas]

I was visiting a friend in Taft one time and experienced the worst fog I've ever been in. We had driven over to another part of town to feed her horse in the early evening. When we started back to her house, the fog was so bad, we had to pull over and get out of the car to read the street signs.

[BeauCharles]

The valley fog isn't nearly as bad as it was 20-30+ years ago. It used to be a given that pea-soup fog would settled over the San Joaquin for most of December, January and February when there wasn't a storm blowing through. There have been times when it didn't break for a solid month. Orchard growers that needed the prolonged chilling (peaches, almonds, etc...) have had trouble with decreased yields because their trees aren't getting that dependable couple of months gray skies in the low 40s day and night.