Photo source: Wikipedia
Doni’s note: Please join me in welcoming meteorologist Mike Krueger to A News Cafe with this latest informative post about the North State’s recent persistent fog. You can learn more about Mike in his bio, below. Also, you can stay informed of even more weather news on Mike’s website, Weather NorCal, which offers a wealth of regional weather information. Welcome, Mike! We’re glad you’re here.
Image courtesy of Mike Krueger
By Mike Krueger
With the return of valley fog many of you have asked why?
This is known as “Tule Fog” and it typically occurs in the Fall and Winter months. We have seen the perfect setup for the fog. There is a persistent ridge of high pressure over the Eastern Pacific. This is keeping us under a stable pattern along with calm winds. The valley is a flat, bowl-like depression surrounded by the Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges. Cold air is denser than warm air, so it sinks into the valley and becomes trapped. A temperature inversion (warmer air sitting above the cold air) acts as a “lid,” keeping the dense, cold, moist air locked in the valley. Light or no wind is crucial. Wind would otherwise mix the cold, dense surface air with the warmer air above, preventing the persistent fog from forming.
Image courtesy of Mike Krueger.
Many of you have also noted it has been several years since we’ve seen Tule Fog this dense. This is most likely due to the fact that since the 1970s and 1980s, strict air pollution controls and vehicle emission requirements have significantly reduced the amount of airborne pollutants in the atmosphere.
Result: With fewer particles available for water to condense onto, the fog is less frequent and not as thick.
Also, the conversion of agricultural land to urban areas reduces the amount of ground moisture available for evaporation, further limiting a key ingredient for fog development.
The ridge looks to stick around well into next week and we will most likely see more of this fog in the days to come.
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Mike Krueger
All through high school, Mike’s friends said he would either be a weatherman or gameshow host. At the time he really didn’t think much of it, even when he attended college at Eastern New Mexico University to get a degree in Broadcast Communication.
His love for weather was born when he was given a spot on the college News Broadcast as a Weather Anchor. From there, he finished out his degree and then moved to San Francisco where he studied meteorology for two more years.
In 1997, Mike got his first job as the Weekend Meteorologist in the heart of Tornado alley at KFDX in Wichita Falls, Texas. Although he enjoyed chasing storms, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to move to the North State in 1999 where he started out as the Weekend Meteorologist at KRCR in Redding and less than two years later became the Chief.
In those years Mike planted his roots in the North State by becoming an active member of the community and starting a family. With almost 25 years of forecasting experience in Northern California, Mike has become the most trusted source for weather information in the area.
Mike’s love and passion for the area is what motivated him to break the mold and start Weather NorCal, the first of its kind on the entire West Coast. He hopes to not only continue to give the people of Northern California the best weather coverage they deserve but to give back to the community that has given him so much supoort since he moved here almost 25 years ago.
When Mike isn’t giving you the weather forecast you will find him spending time with his family, either at home or in the great outdoors enjoying what the North State has to offer. In 2003 and again in 2014 Mike had an opportunity to climb to the summit of Mount Shasta and plans to do it again in the future with his son.
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