Fog in Santa Maria, CA

daily fog outlook & 2016–2026 climatology
Fog possible — NWS guidance shows a fog signal in the next 48 hours. August typically brings about 16 hours of dense fog here.forecast cycle 2026-08-16T00:00:00Z · page rebuilt daily · live layers below update hourly

Measured at Santa Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field (KSMX). This station is in forecast verification — percentages publish when it clears the accuracy bar.

Measuring station

stationairportfog hours/yrforecast
KSMXSanta Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field180 h/yrverifying

Fog is measured where instruments live — airports. Hours/yr = time below CAT I approach minima (visibility under ~½ mile or ceiling under 200 ft), the aviation definition of seriously dense fog.

When Santa Maria fogs in

Fog here concentrates in September and October — about 180 hours in a typical year at KSMX, usually lasting ~2 h once it forms. Hour-by-hour patterns, live conditions and the forecast strip live on the KSMX station page.

Fog season

January: ~13 hJanFebruary: ~10 hFebMarch: ~10 hMarApril: ~10 hAprMay: ~9 hMayJune: ~8 hJunJuly: ~9 hJulAugust: ~16 hAugSeptember: ~28 hSepOctober: ~28 hOctNovember: ~23 hNovDecember: ~19 hDec
Fog season is year-round, peaking in September; fog is mostly a 1 AM–7 AM phenomenon; typically thinning out by 8 AM; a typical event lasts about 2 hours once it forms local time · 10-yr average

Machine access: data.json · llms.txt · forecast verification. Not for operational use.