October brings mushrooms, autumn leaves, bears, and, Ta Da: steam fog.
Certainly, steam fog on the Lake can be seen earlier in the fall, and can become downright spectacular during an outbreak of cold air in the winter. But a clear dawn in October brings cool air draining from the shore over the warmer water—a recipe for steam fog.
The fog is ephemeral. Soon the rising Sun warms the shore; the drainage wind dies, and with it, the steam fog. But, while it lasts, the swirls and intracate flows of the fog are a delight to watch.
The Kootenay-Lake Website offers a discussion and more pictures of steam fog over the Lake.
