Some flights canceled by heavy fog

Lingering heavy fog canceled some flights out of Fresno on Monday and may have been responsible for a fatal accident near Firebaugh.At Fresno Yosemite International Airport, 14 flights were canceled or delayed by overnight fog that still blanketed the Valley on Monday morning.Morning flights to Los Angeles, Denver and San Francisco were grounded. Flights to Phoenix were canceled, and some were delayed, because those planes were not able to land at the airport Sunday night.

Some flights began arriving by about 11:30 a.m., which allowed flights to depart for San Francisco and flight to Los Angeles in the afternoon, said airport spokeswoman Vikkie Calderon.It seems like things are back to normal for now, Calderon said shortly before 5 p.m. The California Highway Patrol on Monday issued widespread fog reports on area roads, including Highways 99, 43, 198, 41 and 145.There's no relief in sight, at least for the next week, according to the National Weather Service.There are no major systems on the horizon to blow the fog out of the Valley, said meteorologist Jim Bagnall.The service forecasts patchy fog beginning about 10 p.m. and ending about noon through next Sunday, with highs in the mid 50s and lows in the mid 40s.With the fog comes warnings about poor visibility on Valley roadways, some delays of flights leaving area airports and foggy day schedules at area schools although many students remain on extended vacation until Monday.

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control district reported that air quality was moderate in Fresno, Madera, Merced, Kings and Tulare counties.On the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, the weather service issued a freezing fog advisory until 10 p.m. today and said ice is likely to form on Highway 395 from Susanville to Doyle.Above the fog, however, the days of early January in the Sierra Nevada should be bright and sunny, with daytime highs in the low 60s and overnight lows in the low 30s.