What is the mysterious ‘radiation’ fog blanketing California – and is it harmful? | EUROtoday

On Dec 21, 2025

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An enormous fog financial institution that has been blanketing a lot of California’s Central Valley with low-lying clouds since Thanksgiving time has prompted fears on-line of a mysterious and dangerous “radiation fog,” however scientists say it is a misunderstanding of primary scientific phrases and customary climate patterns within the area.

“There’s something in the fog that I can’t explain,” a California man stated in a latest video as he wiped soot from his truck bumper, in a submit by Wall Street Apes, a preferred X account.

There is certainly a “radiation fog” over the area, however that time period refers back to the normal radiation of power, not nuclear radiation. During radiation fog occasions, or “tule fog” because it’s identified in California, named for a local marsh plant, fog kinds when the moist floor cools quickly at night time, inflicting water vapor within the air to condense into thick fog.

A wet autumn and winter in California, in addition to a late November high-pressure system over the state, has additional exacerbated this impact, serving to create a fog financial institution that usually stretched 400 miles up the middle of the state.

Residents described the fog, which can truly be getting much less widespread within the area in comparison with historic developments, as chilly and eerie.

Low-lying fog has blanketed central California for hundreds of miles between late November and December, an example of the region’s regular ‘radiation’ or ‘tule fog’ — Low-lying fog has blanketed central California for a whole bunch of miles between late November and December, an instance of the area’s common ‘radiation’ or ‘tule fog’ (NASA)

“It’s like going into a dream stage where you can’t see anything around you,” David Mas Masumoto, a peach farmer within the San Joaquin Valley, advised The New York Times. “You feel like you’re in this twilight zone.”

Masumoto added that he can’t keep in mind one other time with such thick fog within the final 50 years.

As for the particles that some residents had been seeing within the fog, there’s a typical rationalization for these too.

“Fog is highly susceptible to pollutants,” Peter Weiss-Penzias, a fog researcher at UC Santa Cruz, advised The Los Angeles Times.

The air above California’s heavily agricultural Central Valley can mingle with fog and trap pollutants, which could explain the particles some residents are seeing in heavy fog in recent weeks — The air above California’s closely agricultural Central Valley can mingle with fog and entice pollution, which may clarify the particles some residents are seeing in heavy fog in latest weeks (AFP by way of Getty Images)

The Central Valley, residence to the state’s key north-south freeway and miles of agricultural land, is thought for its poor air high quality.

“It could be a whole alphabet soup of different things,” Weiss-Penzias added.

The fog, which continued by means of late this week, is predicted to skinny out as heavy rains disrupt climate patterns within the state.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/california-radiation-fog-pollution-weather-b2888614.html