The Foggiest Places in North America
Commonly seen as a mysterious phenomenon that happens in movies to provide a spooky undertone, fog is common in some places across North America. Time to uncover the foggiest places in North America and why they cannot seem to shake the fog.
Starting out in Canada, the city that holds the title of the foggiest place in the world belongs to Grand Banks, Newfoundland, Canada. Thanks to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream channeling northward into the cool Labrador Sea waters, fog becomes an almost everyday occurrence! Roughly 206 days per year are blanketed by fog, with areas along the coast being shrouded in fog for days at a time.
The second foggiest place in North America belongs to Point Reyes, Calif., which is just north of the San Francisco Bay Area. This location is notoriously known as the windiest place on the Pacific coastline as well thanks to its orientation to the Pacific Ocean where some of the winds can crank up to hurricane-force levels (74 mph or higher). Thanks to the contrast of the ocean waters and the warmer air surrounding the coastline, this location could see up to 200 foggy days per year, mainly during the summer months.
The next location is not a disappointment when it comes to being foggy! Cape Disappointment located in the extreme southwestern corner of Washington State retains over three months of fog, roughly 165 days per year. Similar to its West Coast counterpart in Point Reyes, Calif., this location’s orientation to the Pacific Ocean plays a huge part in the thick layer of fog that blankets them.
Speaking of California, two spots on the top list belong to the Golden State! In fact, the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the foggiest places in North America. Oftentimes, San Francisco’s very own Golden State Bay Bridge is captured as the peaks of the bridge peek out of a dense layer of fog. Mainly during the winter months, the Bay Area is known to be draped in what is known as a tule fog which is a form of radiation fog that develops when the surface is warmer than the air aloft. This can remain in place most nights, especially during the winter.
It's no mistake that this last location is on the list of the foggiest places in North America. Mistake Island, Maine, is found just northeast of Bar Harbor and foggy conditions here are reported nearly 1,600 hours annually. This time, it’s the cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean causing all the fog. The famous Moose Peak Lighthouse located on Mistake Island has been known since 1930 to report foggy conditions, with only lighthouse keepers who would travel there using a boat.
Source(s): Farmers’ Almanac, NOAA
(Image provided by kauci via Pixabay.com)
