California’s Central Valley has been enshrouded in mist for more than a week thanks to the area’s infamous tule fog.
The image below shows California as seen from space by a National Aeronautic and Space Administration satellite system. On the left is what the state looked like on Oct. 29, 2025 — before a major storm brought record-setting rainfall — and on the right is the same view on Nov. 27, in the middle of the days-long stretch of tule fog.
Technically known as radiation fog, the weather phenomenon is the result of a combination of “a cool, moist layer of air from the Pacific close to the surface, clear skies above and light winds,” according to the National Weather Service. Most persistent in valleys where the wind can’t sweep it away, the tule fog has been a main character in California for decades. It causes pileups, traps airborne pollutants and has even inspired poetry about its haunting beauty…