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Tall pine trees in a forest covered in fog

Fog, a field guide

Advection, radiation, valley fog: a short guide to the weather that makes forests look like memories.

Photo by Vulpyr Photography / Unsplash

There are mornings when the forest behind the house disappears entirely, and then returns tree by tree as the sun climbs. I have photographed those mornings for ten years, and I am still learning to read them.

Conifers emerging from the morning fog on a hillside
Radiation fog, lifting from the hillside at half past seven. Photo by Jan Huber / Unsplash

Radiation fog forms on clear, still nights when the ground cools quickly. It lies low and lifts in the morning: be outside before sunrise.

Valley fog pools in the low ground and leaves the hilltops clear. Climb above it and you will see the forest floating.

Sea fog rolls in from the water on warm days. It is the most theatrical and the least predictable.

Dark pine trees disappearing into thick fog
When the fog is thick, look for one tree, not the whole forest. Photo by Fredrik Solli Wandem / Unsplash
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