US weather: Creepy rolling fog set to smother Pacific coast
A creepy fog rolling off the Pacific will smother parts of the US in a ghostly shroud for the run-up to Halloween.
Sea winds sweeping inland where temperatures have started to plunge will blanket western states in swirling mists.
A change in weather patterns will give way to an eerie calm after the storm after a spate of hurricanes and thunder.
Coastal regions are in the path of ‘advection’ fog, sweeping in from the sea, while further inland, falling overnight temperatures will drive ‘radiation’ fog.
Jim Dale, US meteorologist for British Weather Services, said: “There will be some misty and murky conditions around over the coming days as the weather settles, bringing an increased risk of fog to parts of the country.
“North-western states will see mists coming off the sea but there is also a risk further inland as overnight temperatures drop.
“This will be a classic autumnal, foggy situation, and will emphasise the season in the run-up to Halloween.”
Advection fog arises when warm, moist sea air blows across land where temperatures are lower, causing mist to form.
In contrast, radiation fog forms overnight when inland temperatures fall, condensing moisture in the air into water droplets.
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US weather services have issued fog forecasts across the Pacific coasts of Washington, Oregon and California, into Montana, Idaho, Utah and Arizona.
It comes as temperatures to the west of the US fall while eastern and southern states continue to simmer after a scorching summer.
A spokesman for the National Weather Service (NOAA) said: “Temperatures in the southern US will be relatively warm.
“Warm southerly advection into the central and eastern US will produce temperatures that are 15F to 25F above average, particularly for portions of the Great Plains, Mississippi Valley and Northeast.”
Weeks of unsettled weather across the US climaxed earlier this month with one of the strongest hurricanes the country has seen.
Damage from Hurricane Milton is thought to have run up costs of between $160-180billion and came just days after Hurricane Helene wrought similar destruction.
AccuWeather founder and spokesman Joel N Myers said: “This is not trivial because optimistic economists are looking at one to two-per-cent year-over-year growth in GDP.
“A $225-250billion (£193billion) loss from Helene and another $160-180billion (£139billion) from Hurricane Milton is close to a combined over $400billion (£308billion), almost half a trillion dollars.
“The GDP of the United States is $26trillion (£20trillion), so this combined loss is nearly 2 per cent. mainly focused in the fourth quarter and the first quarter of 2025.
“That may wipe out all expected growth in the economy over that period.”
Although hurricane activity in the tropical Atlantic has slowed over the past week, Tropical Storm Oscar is currently bothering the Caribbean.
The storm is expected to stay clear of the US, although eastern states could see some knock-on effects later this week.
A spokesman for the National Hurricane Centre said: “By late Wednesday, Oscar should be absorbed by a larger, non-tropical area of low pressure that is forecast to develop over the western Atlantic.
“It seems unlikely that Oscar will be able to restrengthen given the continued bouts of dry air and stronger shear expected over the next couple of days.”