Hacker News Reader

Comment by sammalloy | Hacker News Reader

> The general consensus among the small cadre of scientists who study coastal fog is that it is decreasing, not just in California, but around the world.

It’s true. The last time I saw thick fog in the city, the kind where you almost had to pull your car over because there was a chance you might hit another car, was 1989.

View on HN

This must depend on where you live in the city – just yesterday we had massive fog in the morning and at night in the sunset.

While the sunset is foggier than the rest of the city I can confirm nothing in the past few days comes even close to what used to be considered "dense fog" for SF. I remember walking in fog like that and not hearing even fairly loud cars till they were almost right on top of me because of how noise-dampening the fog was.

I heard most of the city used to be very foggy for months on end. But now most of the city is sunny all year round before noon till early afternoon (about 11am-3pm) except maybe parts of outer sunset and outer richmond. In Bayview, fog doesn't even usually roll in until after 10pm (except in July)

This is true. I've lived in the Bay Area since '05, and have met many people who were there since the 80's and 90's. Actually, I think most of them have left. But by the mid 2010's, many of them would comment on how unusual it was that the fog just wasn't rolling in anymore.

One person I knew was sensitive to certain allergies that would become markedly worse without the fog. So she knew.

It isn't just SF proper. Along the peninsula, on Highway 35, the fog used to be so thick you couldn't see more than 30 ft in front of you – maybe even 10 ft some days, and especially in the evening. I lived in those mountains around the 2006-2007 timeframe, and it was fun to drive down the 35 by memory (at least if you were an indestructible-feeling 20-something), since it wasn't possible to see down the road for any safe distance. Nowadays, there might be fog, but it's invariably "safe."

Another bit of history. The first navigators kept passing by the bay for years because they could not see the bay from the sea due to the fog. This is why people settled in SF later than in other places in the region. So, the fog was probably damn thick at the time.

And from what I remember Skyline drive was the original way to go north and south on the peninsula (dirt road)

No telling stories about how great the Lucky Penny was.

> And from what I remember Skyline drive was the original way to go north and south on the peninsula (dirt road)

PTSD, activated! I had a sadist as a DMV driving instructor who forced me to take my test on that road.

When I hear people complain about the weather in SF now I always think "if only you knew...."

I lived in SF from 1989 to 2006. In the summer, downtown was usually sunny during the day while sunset and richmond were socked in. Fog moved further in towards the afternoon/evening. I lived in the sunset and richmond the whole time and didn't see any change. In 1989 I sometimes didn't see the sun for weeks and 2006 still didn't see the sun for weeks, in those districts. Maybe something has changed in the last 15 years?

We still get haar a lot here in Scotland - its very common on the Firth of Forth:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haar_(fog)

Edit: I have no idea whether haar occurs more or less frequently - I moved to a spot where it is very visible a few years back so it certainly looks more common to me!

You should visit Daly City; Skyline (35) still gets shrouded in fog fairly often.

Also, if you miss the fog, both Skyline and US-1 in that part of the world are absolutely gorgeous.

Fogust seemed to be getting lighter when I was living there as well. Anecdotal but noticeable.

I had a nice view from UCSF 1995-2001. Fog came in full and thick nearly every day. When I drive from San Mateo to South SF I frequently see a large offshore flow causing massive fog at Mt San Bruno. Any possibility your data is mainly anecdotal?

Concur: I spent perhaps 10 days in the city in 1995 split into two blocks at end of June and beginning of September. Definitely foggy on multiple days, especially over towards Golden Gate Park and the bridge.

If we're going by anecdotes... when I came to this city I was told thick blinding fog is a daily occurrence, but I was here a good week or two before the "real" fog came in, and while fog does come often, that honestly doesn't come often. Maybe 3 times a week.

I classify "real" fog as days where I go from being able to see half of SF and even a bit of Alameda... to not seeing the houses a block down from my balcony.

I'll admit it's impressive and straight up disorienting sometimes, (looking out at what was a skyline 20 minutes before and seeing nothing but grey), but if the locals' anecdotes about how often it used to happen are even somewhat accurate, it sounds like it's on the decline.

It's not daily- there is more like a cycle caused by changes in offshore flow and temps in the inland valleys. I'd see a week without any fog, then a two weeks of in-and-out fog, then a week of total fog, including times when I couldn't see more than a few avenues towards sunset, or the park looked like some misty dream.

One of the guesses in the article was less pollution to form smog eith. That feels right to me.

Happened last year in Ingleside Terraces. Could barely see the curb.

we would get it in the Richmond. The thickest fog in the bay area right I know if is always around Skyline between Westmoore and Hickey - it still gets that thick there.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com