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If It Gets Cold Enough, Can Fog Freeze?

KPIX 5 Morning Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzales answers the questions you never get to ask on-air.

Q: Hi Roberta! A friend sent me pictures of ice and frozen fog in Texas. Can fog freeze? -Kiet Do

Guadalupe Pass1A: Great photos! Fog tends to not produce measurable precipitation, but it can still contribute to wet surfaces and moisten objects. In the case of freezing fog, the fog cloud droplets are "supercooled" (the process of chilling a liquid below its freezing point, without it becoming solid).  When a droplet contacts an object below freezing (in this case a tree) it will turn to ice.

Often, freezing fog contains freezing drizzle. In that case, a film or sheet of ice will coat surfaces. And I believe that is what we are looking at with the Guadalupe Pass photo.

 

Read More From Roberta

I would love to hear from you! Please send weather questions, observations and photos to me, Gonzales@kpix.cbs.com and I look forward to hearing from you!

 

 

 

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