Who's got good fog?

[Unauthorized_Cinnamon]

No information about fog, just an observation about how perception is molded by expectation.

I first read the thread title as, “Who’s got dog food?” (“dog food” being a much more common phrase to me than “good fog”) and it took me several seconds to puzzle over it, realizing something was not quite right, and finally settling down and actually looking at the letters of the words before I read it properly.

Don’t mind me, please proceed with the fog discussion.

[Rick]

@dangermom

Bakersfield has a lot of fog. It’s about the most interesting thing there. (OK, well, there’s Dewar’s and the Basque restaurant. And a nice quilt shop.) In fact, the hockey team is called the Fog, which doesn’t exactly give a combatant impression. So, go to Bakersfield.

We get some fog, especially out in the farming areas near the Sacramento River. But not often.

Dangermom go a little south of Sacto in January and you will find out what fog really is.
My fog story.
1970 I move to Turlock Ca (between Merced and Modesto right on Hiway 99 if you are Googling) to attend Turkey Tech. One night in January I drive my car to class. When I get out of class visibility is about 5 feet. My lab partner and I find my car via braille. Now here is the deal, we have to drive across campus to get to the driveway that is across the hiway from my dorm driveway. I cannot see the ground directly in front of my car (68 Plymouth Fury) with the headlights on! :eek: The road we have to drive on was put in without curbs over a field, so to cross campus we opened up both doors and looked straight down, if we saw pavement it was good, if I saw grass, I moved right, if my partner saw grass, I steered left. When I came to the highway, I rolled down the windows, shut off the engine and listened. When I was sure I could hear no cars, I started my car floored it straight across the hiway into my dorm parking lot. For several days after that, when I walked to school, I would press the button at the crosswalk, I could not see the flashing orange warning light about 5 feet over my head! Just an orange glow. About a month later the sun broke out one day.
Worst month of my life.

[Doobieous]

@levdrakon

But I’ve always lived near, or on, the top of the hill that is, essentially, the Monterey Peninsula, and yes, we get clouds passing right in front of us, pretty much every day of the year.

I’m sorry, I thought we were talking about FOG?

So, let’s fight over semantics. Of course, we can argue that just about any place is going to have clouds any given day of the year.

Is it always 50 degrees? Well, maybe I was exaggerating a bit there, but not much.

Exaggerating a bit? 10 degrees is quite a lot ofr “exaggerating a bit”, look at the monthly averages below. An average doesn’t mean that that’s what it’s like every day of the year. Weather.com disagrees with your source (and this data is from NOAA):

Jan: 60
Feb: 61
Mar: 62
Apr: 64
May: 65
Jun: 67
Jul: 68
Aug: 70
Sep: 71
Oct: 70
Nov: 64
Dec: 60

Giving an average of 65 degrees for the year.

I’m sorry, I go by what NOAA says, not wunderground.

Here’s some definitive data (rather than speculation based upon being on a hill and seeing overcast, like you have) about how much fog Monterey gets:

Average number of fog days:

Jan: 6
Feb: 6
Mar: 8
Apr: 8
May: 13
Jun: 15
Jul: 22
Aug: 21
Sep: 17
Oct: 14
Nov: 8
Dec: 6

Year avg: 144

Fog here is defined as visibility equal or less than 6 miles for one hour or more.

So you may get hit by a cloud up there on the hill, but that’s not what the OP asked and you certainly don’t get fog every single day of the year here, which is what I was talking about.
But of course, what do I know? I’ve only lived near Monterey for 26 years and been there just about every single day of the year.

[levdrakon]

Monterey, not Marina.

For: COASTAL MONTEREY COUNTY
Issued: June 28, 2005 19:30:40 PDT

Tonight: Areas of low clouds and fog near the coast…spreading into inland valleys overnight. Otherwise mostly clear. Lows in the upper 40s to lower 60s…warmest in the hills. Evening seabreeze 5 to 15 mph.

Not sure how math works in Marina, but here in Monterey, if you add 40 & 60 & divide by two, you get… wait for it!

50 degrees.

Of course, that’s not average highs. But let’s talk about average highs.

Wednesday: Areas of morning low clouds and fog…clearing to the coast by midday. Otherwise mostly sunny. Highs in the 60s along the coast to mid 90s southern interior. Afternoon seabreeze 5 to 15 mph.

Quite a big difference there, isn’t it? Based on your 26 years’ experience, you know as well as I do it ain’t getting anywhere near 90 degrees at the top of the peninsula where I live. Not even close.

Thursday: Areas of morning low clouds and fog…mainly near the coast and bay. Otherwise mostly sunny. Highs in the 60s along the coast to around 100 southern interior. Afternoon seabreeze 5 to 15 mph.

Another huge whopping difference.

Know what else? the NOAA takes the temperature at the airport. Not my house, at the top of the hill.

Those big, white fluffy things you see when you look up? In Marina, those are clouds. Your observations over the last 26 years are quite correct.

When I’m standing in my driveway and suddenly find myself inside one of those large, white fluffy things? I call it fog. Semantics indeed.

@Doobieous

So you may get hit by a cloud up there on the hill, but that’s not what the OP asked and you certainly don’t get fog every single day of the year here, which is what I was talking about.

Let’s refresh:

@parthenokinesis

It has come into my thoughts recently that I have always enjoyed a good fog. Especially I enjoy a walk in a cool, foggy morning. Or a night fog stroll, on a semi-lit street. And now my thoughts are leading me to planning some leisure travel to experience some nice soft weather.

So, who’s got good fog? When’s your fog season? Share some of your fog related anecdotes, and musings. Let us make this a fog appreciation thread.

Cool foggy morning? Check.

Night fog? Check.

Travel planning to somewhere with nice, soft weather? Check.

Fog related anecdotes? Check.

What’s my fog season? Pretty much always. Check. Although, “June gloom” is often mentioned. Summer here can be quite foggy. Our “summer” usually occurs in the fall. Not that we don’t get fog then, but the days are a bit warmer.

Let us make this a fog appreciation thread? Got me there. I’m not a huge appreciator of fog, but then I live with it pretty much every day.

The lichens & moss growing on my trees pretty much attest to that.