What is fog?

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by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author

If being in fog makes you feel like you’re walking on a cloud, then you’re not very far off -- the biggest difference between fog and a cloud is that fog touches the ground! Other than that, they’re made up of and caused by nearly the same thing!

Much like clouds, fog happens when warm air cools down and makes the water vapor in the air condense. If that sounds a bit confusing, here’s what it means:

The air all around us holds water vapor, which is water in its gas-state. We can’t see it, but it’s always there and it’s responsible for lots of weather. Warm air can hold more of this water vapor moisture than cold air, so when warm air starts to cool down, something has to happen to all of this moisture! What happens is that the water vapor condenses, meaning it changes into its liquid form. These newly-formed little droplets then linger around in the air and hang onto one another, leaving you with clouds (up high) or fog (near the ground)! – NEAT!

Being in fog reduces how far you can see. When visibility is less than 1,000 meters, it’s usually classified as “fog.” When you can see more than 1,000 meters, it’s usually called “mist”!

Fog it up!

Because fog can make it hard to see further distances, fog is sometimes associated with being something creepy, like a foggy, mysterious road at night!

Have a grown-up help you write a story that begins on a foggy night. How does the fog affect or change the mood of your story? Why do you think this happens??

Posted by Rushin on 2010-01-23 10:09:22

very easy way to explain. Wow!