Weather Whys; Fog

This is weather-wise. At first glance, fog might not seem to be a particularly threatening weather phenomenon. Hurricane, tornadoes, and lightning would more likely lead a typical list of weather concerns, and fog might be written off as a minor annoyance. But fog-related disasters can sometimes be just as bad as some of the more spectacular severe weather events. For instance, fog has been blamed for two multi-car pile-ups that occurred recently. The accidents took place in Tennessee and Utah and involved about 175 vehicles. fog also combines with smoke and industrial pollutants to form smog, which has been recognized as a major health hazard for urban residents. But it's not only the big city dwellers who are at risk. In October of 1948, many residents of the small industrial town of Denora, Pennsylvania, were fouled by a thick toxic smog from their own smokestacks. And on foggy mornings in Asheville, North Carolina, fumes hang in the air from a paper mill

20 miles away. There's also the question of damage that might result from acid fog, which is formed when cloud and fog droplets accumulate around certain types of pollution particles. Cloud fog could be responsible for killing many trees, especially on mountain tops that are often shrouded by clouds. Lastly, fog is a serious hazard for airplanes and ships. For instance, in 1956, the merchant ship Andrea Doria collided with the passenger ship Stockholm in heavy fog, killing 52 people. And nearly 600 died in the foggy crash of two 747s in the Canary Islands. So while the fog may come in on little cat feed as Carl Sandberg wrote, the cat may be moving in for a strike. This is weather wise. Our writer is Christine Harmer, editor Brian Wauke, and our executive producer is Karen Hope. Thank you very much.