Latest Fog Stories

The above map identifies the visibility throughout the United States. We as meteorologist use surface visibility charts to help identify where certain features are possibly at. If we look at the red circle near San Diego we can see that it says ¼ visibility meaning that they are experiencing Fog at their weather station, which can lead to many problems from traffic on the roads and also the shipping lanes of the ocean. The second is the 3 and 7 in Central Nebraska. Here we are looking...

The California current runs north to south along the West Coast of the United States. This current has huge impacts on the weather along the west coast. Along California this current is responsible for extensive Marine Fog layers every day during the summer, especially when the land is warmer than the waters along the coast. Also in the California area this current keeps the coastal cities cooler such as San Diego. In the Northwest along the coast of Seattle this current is responsible for...

Haze is a type of atmospheric phenomenon where dust, smoke and dry particles in the air obscure the sky's clarity. Haze is created through various activities including farming, traffic pollution,and even wildfires. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) categorizes the obscuration of the Earth's atmosphere by a list of different types of atmospheric phenomena. One of these is haze. The other classifications are: fog, ice fog, steam fog, mist, smoke, volcanic ash, dust, sand, and snow....

Mist is a phenomenon that consists of small droplets of water suspended in air. Mist occurs as part of a natural weather event or from volcanic activity. Mist is most common in cold air above warm water. Mist also occurs when air is exhaled in cold temperatures or when steam is formed in a sauna. Aerosol cans can create artificial mist if the humidity levels are just right. The one difference between mist and fog is visibility. If visibility is less than 0.62 miles (1 kilometer), the...

Soft rime is a type of milky white ice that forms when water droplets in light freezing fog freeze to the outer surfaces of objects. This formation usually occurs with light winds or in calm conditions. The rime forms to the windward (side facing the wind) side of solid objects. Soft rime is similar in appearance to hoar frost, but is formed differently. Soft rime is formed when vapor first condenses to liquid droplets and then attaches to the surface. Hoar frost is formed when water vapor is...