ORLANDO, Fl. – Get ready for another foggy morning in Central Florida! This weekend, patchy, dense fog will greet us early on Saturday.
If you’ve been out early lately, you’ve probably noticed the patchy dense fog rolling in, making your morning drive a little spooky and cautious.
And we’ve been getting some cool photos from our viewers of how bad the fog has been on our PinIt page. Check them out!
David Crum
City buildings towering above the fog from Stinson Park
Patti Hughs
Very foggy here
But what exactly is this fog, and why does it sometimes linger even after the sun comes up?
What you’re most likely seeing is radiation fog. This type of fog forms when the ground cools quickly at night, especially on clear, calm nights.
As the ground cools, it cools the air right above it.
When the air reaches its dew point (the temperature at which air can’t hold any more moisture), tiny water droplets form, creating fog.
This fog usually forms early in the morning when temperatures are lowest. Radiation fog can be thick and dense, making it harder to see. But sometimes, it lingers longer than expected, even after the sun rises.
Why? That’s because the sun isn’t always strong enough to heat the ground quickly enough to burn off the fog.
It can take time for the air to warm up, and during that time, the fog stays put.
So, while radiation fog is common, it’s not the only type. There are a few others like advection fog (when warm, moist air moves over cooler ground), steam fog (when cold air moves over warm water), upslope fog (when moist air is forced up a mountain slope), and even freezing fog or ice fog (where water vapor freezes directly into tiny ice crystals).
But for now, in Central Florida, it’s all about radiation fog. So if you’re out early this weekend and find yourself in a thick, foggy haze, just know it’s a natural phenomenon that’ll burn off as the day warms up.
Stay safe out there, and if you’re driving, make sure to take it slow in those foggy conditions!