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Why Is It So Foggy

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Over the past few mornings we have experienced dense fog throughout the CSRA, some places were worse than others. A DENSE FOG ADVISORY is in effect for portions of the CSRA again tonight.

CSRA(WRDW)

To understand why fog is more dense in certain spots compared to others we must first discuss what fog is. According to the National Weather Service fog is “water droplets suspended in the air at the Earth’s surface”. We often refer to fog as a “cloud on the ground”. Dense Fog Advisories are issued when the visibility for drivers is less than a quarter of a mile. Air at the ground is fully saturated when fog forms – so relative humidity is near 100% and the temperature and dew point are the same.

While fog can develop anywhere, an area in the CSRA that sees very dense fog conditions is Clarks Hill Lake and along the Savannah River.

Fog is very commonly found near/over bodies of water due to an abundance of moisture. Fog forms when lake /surface temperatures are colder than the warmer air that moves above it. Colder air is able to reach saturation quicker and is more dense, thus keeping the fog closer to the surface. Once the warmer air moves across a cold surface, the air becomes more saturated, through the process of evaporation and condensation, and fog will form over the cold lake. Current lake temperatures at Clarks Hill are in the upper 40s, but our air temperature is in the 60s, leading to the warmer air condensing quickly over the cooler lake.

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Many cities and towns across the CSRA are near a body of water which can lead to more dense fog conditions. Be sure to have your low beams on when driving through fog. Elevation can also impact fog formation. Areas in valleys and bottoms of hills can see fog form quicker than higher elevated places. Cold air sinks to the lowest areas – the relatively colder air reaches saturation faster than warmer spots and fog forms.

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