Live marine layer dashboard
San Francisco Bay Area Fog Map and Forecast
A fast, forecast-first view of where Bay Area fog is now, when it may clear, and how the marine layer is expected to move through San Francisco, the coast, Marin, the East Bay, the Peninsula, and inland valleys.
3D marine layer
Live fog map
Use the presets to jump to common fog corridors, then play the 36-hour timeline to watch fog spread inland and clear back toward the coast.
Bay Area satellite
Live fog satellite: Bay Area loop
Weather radar can’t see fog, but satellite can. Use this animated GOES loop to watch fog and low clouds move, alongside the 3D fog map, city forecasts, and shoreline-to-inland fog timing.
Reading the forecast
How to read the fog map
The white layer is the forecast fog and low cloud field. Brighter, more continuous shading means a stronger fog signal; thin or broken shading means the edge is uncertain and nearby neighborhoods may look different.
Use the time control like a clock. If the white layer pushes through the Golden Gate or over the coastal hills, fog is likely moving into San Francisco, Marin, or the inner Bay. If it pulls back toward the ocean, clearing is underway.
Terrain matters. Fog usually reaches the coast and west side first, then follows gaps and lower terrain inland. The city table is the point forecast; the 3D map shows the nearby hills, valleys, and edges that explain why one side of town can be gray while another is clear.
For the longer-term pattern, compare annual fog hours on the Bay Area fog heat map.
Is it foggy in San Francisco right now?
No, San Francisco does not look foggy right now. Downtown, the west side, the Golden Gate approaches, and the immediate coast look mostly clear or just cloudy. Fog is expected around Saturday 1 AM and should thin out around Saturday 6 AM.
Will it be foggy in San Francisco today?
Probably not for the rest of today. Fog is expected around Saturday 1 AM and should thin out around Saturday 6 AM.
When will the fog lift today?
There is no widespread fog to clear right now. Fog is expected around Saturday 1 AM and should thin out around Saturday 6 AM.
Where is Bay Area fog most likely right now?
Right now, none of the tracked Bay Area cities look foggy. If fog returns, Pacifica, Half Moon Bay, the Sunset, and the Golden Gate are usually the first places to watch.
How far inland will the marine layer reach?
The marine layer reaches at least the immediate coast in this forecast, with fog or patchy fog showing for Pacifica. Fog is expected around Saturday 1 AM and should thin out around Saturday 6 AM.
Why is San Francisco foggy when Oakland or San Rafael is clear?
That classic split is not really showing right now: San Francisco is mostly clear, Oakland is mostly clear, and San Rafael is mostly clear. When it does happen, the reason is geography. Marine air enters first through the Golden Gate and west side of San Francisco, while Oakland, Marin valleys, and inland areas often clear faster because hills and daytime heating thin the low cloud deck.
Is the Golden Gate Bridge foggy today?
No, the Golden Gate Bridge does not look foggy right now, and fog is not expected there in the next 36 hours. That corridor can still change quickly when marine air starts pouring through the gap.
How accurate is this Bay Area fog forecast?
This forecast was last updated Oct 16, 1:01 PM. It is best for the big practical questions: when fog arrives, where it is most likely, and how far inland the marine layer may push. The exact edge can still wobble by neighborhood, especially near Ocean Beach, Twin Peaks, the Golden Gate, and the immediate coast.
Where does this fog forecast data come from?
This forecast uses NOAA HRRR data directly on a native 3 km grid, including low-cloud cover, surface visibility, terrain elevation, cloud ceiling, cloud top, and boundary-layer height. SFBayWeather classifies surface fog separately from elevated marine cloud and labels cloud heights as either HRRR-derived or estimated. The map is a model forecast, not a webcam or satellite observation. Last updated Oct 16, 1:01 PM.
Why is it so foggy today?
In late spring and summer, fog is the marine layer. Heat in the inland valleys pulls cool, moist Pacific air through the Golden Gate and over the coastal hills, and the low cloud deck often arrives in the afternoon or evening and lingers until late morning. In winter, fog is usually valley fog. It forms on clear, calm nights as the ground cools, settles in the Delta, the Central Valley, and inland valleys, and is thickest around dawn. The National Weather Service issues dense fog advisories when visibility drops to a quarter mile or less.
What is San Francisco’s fog called?
Locals call it Karl the Fog, a nickname that spread through a popular social media account written in the fog’s voice. Meteorologically, San Francisco’s summer fog is the marine layer: cool, moist Pacific air capped by warmer air above, pulled through the Golden Gate when inland valleys heat up.
What is the difference between fog and the marine layer?
The marine layer is the cool, moist Pacific air sitting under an inversion. Fog is what you feel at street level when that low cloud layer reaches the ground and cuts visibility. Low clouds can still make the sky gray even when the roads and sidewalks are not actually foggy.