Authorities said foggy conditions were to blame for a pileup that involved at least 50 vehicles near Armona, California, Tuesday morning, as well as several other crashes in the middle of the state.

The incident occurred in the westbound lanes of Highway 198 , according to YourCentralValley.com. California Highway Patrol officer John Tyler told the Fresno Bee that speed and foggy conditions were responsible for the pileup .

"Everybody who thought it was OK to go 60 (mph) in the fog found out that it’s not OK ," Tyler told the Hanford Sentinel.

Traffic along Highway 198 was diverted between Hanford and Lemoore, and drivers were asked to find an alternate route, YourCentralValley.com added.

"California's central valley is a common hotspot for fog, particularly in the winter months after recent rains like they've seen," said weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce . "Known as tule fog, it can reduce visibility to near zero at times, resulting in dangerous travel conditions. Hanford and other parts of the central valley had visibility less than a quarter-mile early Tuesday morning."

(WATCH: How Does Fog Form? )

In central California, several other collisions were reported Tuesday morning. Southeast of Fowler, a four-car collision was reported by emergency managers, and just west of the pileup in Armona, a multi-vehicle crash was reported earlier in the morning along Highway 198 near Lemoore, the CHP said. According to the Visalia Times-Delta, the latter crash began when a milk truck hit a tractor-trailer , and four cars subsequently collided with the semi.

"[The tanker hit] him so hard he made it roll over into that little grassy area when you turn eastbound on 198," Cardiel Orosco, who witnessed the crash, told the Times-Delta. "The truck is completely gone. I can't see it. It's either underneath or completely crushed. Just the worst accident ever."

Tyler told Valley Public Radio that fewer than 10 people suffered minor to moderate injuries in the collisions that occurred Tuesday, and they did not know of any fatalities.

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