Bay Area fog climatology
San Francisco Bay Area Fog Heat Map
Compare where fog adds up across the Bay Area over a full year. Darker colors mark places that are foggy more often, while lighter colors show areas that usually clear sooner or miss the marine layer. Use total fog for all hours or daytime fog to see where low clouds tend to linger after sunrise.
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Foggiest locations by total hours
- 1
Moss Beach
Town
2,881 hr
120 days (33%)
- 2
Point Reyes Lighthouse
Park
2,752 hr
115 days (31%)
- 3
Salmon Creek Beach
Beach
2,729 hr
114 days (31%)
- 4
Half Moon Bay
Town
2,677 hr
112 days (31%)
- 5
Montara
Town
2,642 hr
110 days (30%)
- 6
Wrights Beach
Beach
2,617 hr
109 days (30%)
- 7
Pacifica
Town
2,413 hr
101 days (28%)
- 8
Pescadero
Town
2,363 hr
98 days (27%)
- 9
Purisima Creek Redwoods
Park
2,321 hr
97 days (27%)
- 10
Dillon Beach
Beach
2,280 hr
95 days (26%)
- 11
Salt Point State Park
Park
2,272 hr
95 days (26%)
- 12
Shell Beach
Beach
2,247 hr
94 days (26%)
This map summarizes foggy hours from June 2025 through May 2026.
The table still ranks 255 Bay Area destinations from destination-page climate-normal data.
Daytime fog uses the same fog likelihood, limited to hours from sunrise to sunset.
Fog heat map FAQ
Bay Area fog climatology questions
What is this Bay Area fog heat map showing?+
The map shows accumulated fog hours across the San Francisco Bay Area over a year, not fog happening at this exact moment. Pink and purple areas have more total hours with fog or low cloud; blue and pale areas have fewer. Switch to daytime fog to see where fog most often lingers during daylight hours.
What is the foggiest town in the Bay Area?+
Moss Beach ranks as the foggiest town in this dataset with 2,881 hours, about 120 days or 33% of the year. Coastal towns near the San Mateo coast and outer Marin usually rank near the top because marine air reaches them first and clears later.
How many hours of fog does San Francisco get?+
Downtown San Francisco records about 1,196 hours, about 50 days or 14% of the year in this destination climatology. It also has about 439 daytime fog hours, so some of the annual total happens overnight or in the morning before clearing.
What is the least foggy town in the Bay Area?+
Pleasanton is the least foggy town in this destination list with about 269 hours, about 11 days or 3.1% of the year. Inland valleys and South Bay foothill locations usually see much less marine fog than the coast.
Why do coastal places look much foggier than inland places?+
Bay Area fog is usually marine-layer fog that forms over the cold Pacific and moves inland through gaps like the Golden Gate. The coast, San Francisco west side, Marin Headlands, and San Mateo coast sit closest to that source, while inland towns often warm and mix out the fog sooner.