What the app shows you
Full FogCast score, fog type, chase-or-skip verdict, and 10-day outlook — all in the app.
Get LightCast Suite on iOS
Know before you drive: FogCast checks the conditions that produce photogenic fog
Get more than a snapshot of current conditions. The LightCast app unlocks everything to plan ahead
Humidity alone isn't enough. Wind alone isn't enough. Cloud cover alone isn't enough. Photogenic valley fog requires several conditions to line up at once, and most weather apps don't read them together.
Set a FogCast threshold once. The app will alert you when conditions at your saved locations look promising, so you're not manually checking at 4am.
Don't waste a sunrise drive. Check FogCast before you leave.
Download on the App StoreCannon Beach is one of the most iconic coastal photography locations in the Pacific Northwest. Haystack Rock, the 73-meter basalt sea stack that rises from the surf, is the defining subject, and marine layer fog transforms it from a clear-sky landmark into something more dramatic: a monolith dissolving into grey mist at the waterline.
Marine layer fog rolls in from the Pacific overnight and is most dense in the early morning hours before burning off by midday in summer. When fog is heavy, the rock disappears and reappears as the mist shifts, and the flat diffused light eliminates harsh shadows for clean long-exposure work on the wet sand. The Ecola State Park headlands to the north offer elevated views over the fog and the rock together.
Summer is the most reliable fog season on the Oregon coast, with June through August producing the most consistent marine layer. Fall and spring bring less frequent but often more dramatic fog combined with stormy skies and high surf.