photo #4290420

Steve, father of Tess Nicholson (Cloud Appreciation Society Member 52,857), was out in fog walking Ruby his Labrador at 6am in Brithdir, Wales. As he climbed the hill, he emerged from the ground-level cloud and turned towards the sunrise. The fog was draped over the hills like a wide-stretched cobweb. This is radiation fog, which forms on cold, long nights that are clear. Without the insulating effect of cloud cover overhead, the ground cools considerably by radiating away the previous day’s warmth up into the starry night sky. So long as there’s some moisture on the ground and a gentle breeze, the ground can cool the low air enough for fog droplets to form. Steve liked how the silky gossamer reached to the mountain tops beyond and glowed orange in the morning Sun. So he did what he usually does in such as situations. He posted it to the rest of the family on their Cloud Appreciation WhatsApp group.