By Joah Boland-Landa ’28
Vancouver is known for rain. Fog? Not so much. So when the city disappeared into a low, eerie haze last week, it felt… unusual. From January 18th through the 21st and again on February 5th, 2026, Vancouver experienced fog for the first time in 3 years. Residents were awakened by the low hum of fog horns that rumbled throughout the day, driving cautiously through the thickest fog since November 2023. And while it felt rare, Environment Canada meteorologist Kenneth Chan says the conditions behind it were textbook.
Regular fog forms when water vapor in the air cools and condenses into tiny liquid water droplets suspended near the ground, reducing visibility. This occurs when the air temperature drops to the dew point, making the air fully saturated. When conditions are right, the outcome is inevitable.
Last week’s fog was special, however. What the Lower Mainland experienced, according to Chen, was “radiation fog from the sun.” Radiation fog is a common, localized ground-level cloud that forms overnight under clear skies and calm winds. As the surface of the Earth radiates heat away from the surface, it cools the air to its dew point, much like normal fog. The result of this radiation was the forming the dense fog we saw in the Lower Mainland.
When asked if meteorologists knew that the fog was coming, Chen said that Environment Canada was aware of the possibility of the weather event, but that fog is hard to predict given that the monitoring stations were far away from where the fog was forming. Stations are located in West Vancouver, YVR airport, and Vancouver Harbor, but not South Vancouver or Metro Vancouver where the combination of lower elevation, sloping hills and the Burrard Inlet were ideal for radiation fog to form. When asked if the fog could return this season, Chen answered it was a possibility; however, as temperatures change, it would be more likely in low-lying areas such as valleys, lakes and coastlines, such as in the Delta region.
The most important factor when dealing with fog, Chen says, is safety. He gave a few tips on staying safe when the fog never came back. First, Chen advises to keep a safe distance from other cars while driving. Many WPGA students have gotten their L or N licenses, and are new to driving were unprepared for this weather event. Chen stated that it’s important to always keep a safe distance from the car in front of you, but especially in such low-visibility weather conditions. Secondly, he advised to always be aware of your surroundings. Fog makes your environment much less visible, so being aware of your surroundings is important for cyclists and pedestrians as well as drivers. And finally, Chen says to mind the temperature, as fog vapour can quickly turn to ice. If you go out in the fog, be sure to dress appropriately, layer up, and wear reflective clothing or blinking runners’ lights to become more visible.
As we return to our regularly scheduled rainy days, with a few bouts of sunshine to break up the monotony, it is important we remember how to prepare for these unexpected weather events. It is more than likely that we will experience far more severe weather conditions in our lifetime, and being properly prepared will be key going forward.