Recent rains that drenched California just before Thanksgiving left their typical Central Valley calling card – a blanket of heavy tule fog that can be seen from outer space. “All of that moisture and rainfall basically is sitting in the soil right now,” said Mikal Montgomery, meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Hanford station. “The moisture, the sky clearing and high pressure allowed for minimal winds, which allowed fog to form every single morning.” The NWS Hanford’s office has issued fog advisories nearly every day across the San Joaquin Valley since Nov. 24. Impacted counties include Kern, Fresno, Kings and Merced and Tulare. The agency recommends that drivers turn on their low beams and slow down on the road. Tule fog, named for the tule reeds that once covered large parts of the valley floor, forms from the ground up if the soil has enough moisture. It typically isn’t expected until late December or January and lasts through February.