Social media users in the Central Valley are freaking out about unusual fog, and what might be in it

"A 400-mile blanket of fog has socked in California's Central Valley for weeks. Scientists and meteorologists say the conditions for such persistent cloud cover are ripe: an early wet season, cold temperatures and a stable, unmoving high pressure system. But take a stroll through X, Instagram or TikTok, and you'll see not everyone is so sanguine. People are reporting that the fog has a strange consistency and that it's nefariously littered with black and white particles that don't seem normal."

"But what it is and where it comes from, they say, is disappointingly mundane. The Central Valley is known to have some of the worst air pollution in the country. And "fog is highly susceptible to pollutants," said Peter Weiss-Penzias, a fog researcher at UC Santa Cruz. Fog "droplets have a lot of surface area and are suspended in the air for quite a long time - days or weeks even - so during that time the""

A 400-mile blanket of fog has covered California's Central Valley for weeks. Scientists and meteorologists say conditions for such persistent cloud cover include an early wet season, cold temperatures and a stable, unmoving high pressure system. Social-media users report odd consistency and black-and-white particles in fog condensate, fueling concern and terms like 'mysterious' or 'radiation' fog. Videos and photos show residue on surfaces and intersecting contrails above breaks in the fog. Scientists confirm particulate material exists in the fog but identify mundane causes: the Central Valley's severe air pollution and the high pollutant susceptibility of fog droplets, which collect contaminants while suspended for days.

Read at Los Angeles Times