Tag Archives: Fogbow

Fogbows are also called white rainbows. They don't appear very often so we cherish them when we are fortunate enough to see one. Mark Hancock wrote, “My dog, Tasi, and I were doing our closing stroll at the Lighthouse and we were treated to an amazing Fogbow to the east. Our Lighthouse Guide, Mike Chandler, had photographed one in the morning from the Tower balcony using his 360-degree camera, and it looked like a halo above the Fog Signal Building. The one I saw [in the afternoon] was a perfect arc above the perimeter fence, and I was able to take a photo with it embracing the Tower as well. What a great way to close our January 2020!”

Here is the link to see the 360 degree video taken by Mike:

Thanks to Mark and Mike for allowing me to share their photos and video here with you. To see more of Mike's photography and video services, here is the link to his website: https://www.thirdeyeviz.com/
Absolutely stellar day on the coast today,  mid 70's and little wind. Where is our rain?

We could use some fog as it has been HOT on the Mendonoma coast. A few weeks ago a rare late afternoon fogbow appeared. I'll let Mark Hancock tell the story.

“As I was leaving the Point Arena Light Station, I was treated to one of the most vivid and beautifully shaped fogbows I have ever seen.

"I think it appeared because the wispy fogbank was just barely above the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands field next to the Light Station with a brilliant blue sky above it, and the sun was low in the sky since it was around 6 p.m. I pointed it out to some folks who were parked in front of our entry, and they had been admiring it themselves!”

The vast majority of fogbows are seen in the morning, so it was nice to learn they can appear in the late afternoon.

Thanks to Mark for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

Mary Bennett was excited to see a fogbow recently. She wrote, “I saw this nifty fogbow, aka a white rainbow, at Sea Ranch. It’s the first one I’ve personally seen. It made my day!”

Once you've seen one, I believe, it's easier to see another. Look for one when the fog is about bluff high in the morning. I was so excited to see my first fogbow five years ago. I tried to photograph it but my camera wouldn't focus. Rick took over and manually focused the camera. The fogbow was beginning to fade, but I did get this photo.

Thanks to Mary for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

We are having showers from the storm system that went through yesterday. And it's quite warm! This weekend should be stellar on the Mendonoma coast!

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On May 9th, John Wall caught the magic!  He photographed a fogbow stretching over Gualala Point Island. We had fog with very high water content. Normally fogbows are completely white, but this one had a little hint of color.

Gary Curtis also photographed a fogbow that day, and his shows even more color.

These were both taken from The Sea Ranch. But fogbows were seen that day off Gualala and off Anchor Bay. Yes, I saw one that day too. It's rare to see a fogbow, so we are always excited about seeing one.

Thanks to John and Gary for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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A big, wet fogbank rolled in two weeks ago, dropped a lot of moisture, and then pulled back. When it pulled back, a beautiful, huge fogbow appeared just north of Fish Rocks. I rushed outside to take a few photos, as I knew it wouldn’t last long.

Fogbow by Jeanne Jackson

Fogbows are also called white rainbows, but this one actually had some color to it. Not vibrant like a rainbow, but definitely there was color. At one point it arched all the way across sky, rainbow-like, but I couldn’t capture it all with my camera. But it is stored in my memory.

Here is a photo of the first fogbow I had ever seen. It was much smaller than the one above.

Fogbow 8.27.13 by Jeanne Jackson (Medium)

Fogbows are rare, so I was thrilled to see another one.