Mysterious, thick fog covers SC road. Should residents be concerned? Here’s what it is

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Mysterious, thick fog covers SC road. Should residents be concerned? Here’s what it is

A thick layer of fog that has covered a roadway in the Longs area has people questioning what it possibly could be and if it may be dangerous.

People took to Facebook Wednesday and Thursday after a post showed a white, fog-like vapor covering the ground around a Dominion Energy substation and on Water Tower Road in the Longs area. The substation sits near the corner of Water Tower and Kerchies roads.

The white fog that covered the roadway made it impossible for drivers to see at night, one poster said.

A thick layer of fog covers Water Tower Road. The phenomenon happened near a natural gas substation and is due to the recent cold temperatures along the Grand Strand.

Those who commented on the post said that it was a natural gas leak coming from the substation. Many reported smelling gas in that area.

But that’s not the case, according to a spokesperson with Dominion Energy in South Carolina.

Paul Fischer said that there is no gas leak, and that what people are seeing, and smelling, is all due to the recent cold weather that has come to the Grand Strand in the last week.

Fischer said it’s water vapor in the air, a byproduct of the gas flow and cold temperatures. So basically, fog.

“There is no concern,” Fischer said.

To meet the growing demand for natural gas in Horry County, Dominion Energy is operating temporary liquified natural gas stations in the North Myrtle Beach and Little River areas, Fischer said by email.

“These facilities provide supplemental natural gas to our system during periods of high demand, such as the stretch of very cold weather we have experienced this month,” he said. “As we increase the flow of LNG on our system, the combination of varying temperatures and moisture in the air can create low-lying fog near our facilities.

“This cloud of clean water vapor is safe and similar to the fog that forms over a natural body of water during an early-morning commute. We urge drivers in the area to exercise caution if fog is present.”

Such “fog” can appear on clear, cold nights with high pressure. During a strong temperature inversion, a warm layer of air will sit above the surface and the cold air is below it, according to the National Weather Service.

The warm layer of air can trap things below it, such as fog and the smell of gas that is being “burped” out from gas meters, especially in areas where there is a lot of gas service in a neighborhood, according to an article by WCNC meteorologist Brad Panovich in Charlotte, North Carolina.

These inversions are most common in the morning and at night.

The smell happens because gas companies, like Dominion, often add the compound mercaptan to natural gas, which doesn’t have any odor. Mercaptan is what gives the smell of rotten eggs and is used for safety purposes so that people know when there is a gas leak.

So under certain weather conditions, such as cold weather, you might smell the mercaptan, which is heavier than natural gas and will often sink and hang closer to the surface. Natural gas is lighter than air and when released, rises quickly and dissipates outside, Panovich wrote.

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