The Frustrating Natural Phenomenon Every Alaskan Has To Worry About Each Winter
By Courtney|Updated on December 30, 2022(Originally published December 26, 2022)
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Courtney
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Living and loving life in Alaska, Courtney enjoys living a happy life based on simple principles; work hard, be kind, stay humble. She is an avid dog lover with hobbies that include running, fly fishing, hiking & snowboarding.
This is one of those natural phenomena in the Last Frontier that isn’t welcomed with open arms. It’s actually quite the opposite – some of us even loathe it. Its dense nature makes it impossible for us to enjoy the beautiful views on our daily commute. Plus, it’s nearly impossible to navigate through without gripping onto the steering wheel for dear life.
Need to get something done? Forget about it! You’ll have to wait for the ice fog to pass. In Alaska, dealing with gnarly weather patterns is just a way of life, and no matter how much we complain, we have no choice but to suck it up and deal with it. I think we can all agree that it’s a small price to pay for living in the best state in the nation.
The natural weather phenomenon known as 'ice fog' is a type of fog that consists of fine ice crystals that essentially get suspended in the air.
This rare natural phenomenon happens most frequently in cold, arctic areas in the world, such as Alaska. Basically, what happens is water droplets get suspended in the air and can remain liquid down to −40 °F.
This makes for an incredible experience, especially if you’ve never seen fog in Alaska during the cold months before.
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Ice fog is most common in interior and northern Alaska and it only takes formation under specific conditions; the humidity has to be near 100% and the air temperature below 32 °F.
It’s a rare and unique combination not seen anywhere outside of Arctic climates, and it’s rare even here! You may have one or two days of ice fog in Alaska during the winter, depending on where you live.
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This specific weather pattern allows for the ice crystals to form in thin air. The ice crystals will then settle onto surfaces, making everything in sight sparkle like a glittery winter wonderland when the sun hits it.
This is pretty wonderful. It can create incredible landscapes that look entirely coated in ice, and makes up some of the most iconic winter in Alaska scenery.
Anyone who lives in Alaska knows exactly what we are talking about. Ice fog is a gnarly weather pattern that comes in like a wrecking ball and always puts a total damper in our outdoor plans and our daily commutes.
You'll notice that ice fog is abundantly dense over frozen rivers and lakes throughout the Last Frontier. Places like the Knik River, Chena River and Kenai Lake are known for having very dense ice fog in the winter months.
This could be quite annoying if not for good radar technology.
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Oftentimes when you're driving through metropolitan areas you'll be able to mask the powerfulness of ice fog as city lights brighten up your direct line of sight.
In fact, no matter where you are located in the 49th state, if you have a year-round outdoor job in Alaska, your productivity will likely be impacted by ice fog multiple times throughout the winter months.
Ice fog in Alaska can be both beautiful and a hazard at work.
If you are an avid outdoors enthusiast, you might even experience ice fog up-close-and-personal high into the mountains when you're out enjoying a winter hike or skiing adventure.
Make sure you check the weather reports because getting lost in ice fog in Alaska is not something that you really want to do.
For a more ‘up close and personal’ look at how thick ice fog can get and how challenging it is to drive in, be sure to check out the excellent YouTube video below.
Have you ever experienced the ice fog in Alaska? What did you think? Was it a bother? Let us know in the comments below!
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Ice Fog In Alaska
Megan McDonald |December 30, 2022
How common is ice fog in Alaska?
Ice fog is considered rare because a very certain set of circumstances has to happen for it to occur.It only occurs in very cold temperatures, at a high humidity point.
What is ice fog in Alaska?
Ice fog consists of supercooled water droplets. When the air temperature goes below the "spontaneous freezing point" for water droplets, the fog becomes an ice crystal fog. The ice crystals then hang suspended in the area.
How cold does it have to be for ice fog?
Ice fog can happen at 14 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. It has to be below freezing in order for the ice crystals to form. You also need it to have humidity. Temperatures at 14 degrees Fahrenheit is too cold for the air to contain super-cooled water droplets, so it forms small tiny ice crystals that hang suspended in the air.
