How To See The Fata Morgana, Rare Winter Mirage
A touch of winter wonder from SnowSchool
A moment of winter wonder. Photo Credit: Joan Cubells, used with permission.
By Kerry McClay, WWA SnowSchool Director (February 3, 2026)
“I thought I was losing my mind!” That’s how Nate Collins, longtime SnowSchool educator and current Bogus Basin Sustainability and Stewardship Coordinator, described it to me after seeing the Fata Morgana mirage in January of 2026. I could relate, as I had felt similarly nutty a few years ago while trying, without the aid of a good photo, to describe this mind-bending phenomenon to some SnowSchool volunteers after I’d witnessed it for the first time. I had stared wide-eyed as a very familiar-to-me view of my local Owyhee Mountains was inexplicably stretched to resemble towering cliffs and very alien looking bluffs jutting skyward. This was the Fata Morgana, an elusive cold weather mirage that has both entranced and perplexed its audiences since time immemorial.
The Stage is Set During a Winter Temperature Inversion
One of the key conditions for creating this rare optical illusion is the presence of a temperature inversion. In January of 2026, a number of SnowSchool program sites across our national network were reporting temperature inversions. For SnowSchool students at Wasatch Mountains Institute, this meant they started their day in the fog and cold temperatures of Salt Lake City, but after getting on a bus to drive thousands of feet up in elevation, they arrived into warmer air temperatures in the mountains. For the SnowSchool kids experiencing the mountains in the winter for the first time, this unexpected sunshine, warm temperatures, and clean air only contributed to their sense of wonder for the winter environment!
Right: Temperature Inversion. Photo Credit : Tim Grayson, Wasatch Mountain Institute
Left: SnowSchool kids in the sun in January of 2026. Photo Credit: Tim Grayson, Wasatch Mountain Institute
Where You Can See It
One way to think about the Fata Morgana is that it’s the opposite of the classic desert mirage, where refracted light makes it appear as though there might be a lake of water out in the distant desert sand (see graphic below from Wikimedia Commons.) The temperature inversion during a Fata Morgana means light is bent (refraction) in the opposite direction as the thermal gradient stretches the appearance of distant mountains upwards and into the sky. In some cases it even displays floating objects in the air! To see a very dramatic version of this, you’ve got to be at just the right elevation during a temperature inversion and looking at something miles in the distance. It’s rare and it often doesn’t last long, so if you’ve seen it you’re among the lucky few! Here are some examples from others that might give you more ideas for where you could see this:
- To notice if the landscape is being distorted it does help if you are looking at a somewhat familiar-to-you view, as this field note from a backcountry skiing tour describes. (Thank you to our friends at the Montana Natural History Center!)
- Temperature inversions also commonly occur over water, and thus many Arctic and Antarctic voyagers have observed the Fata Morgana.
- If you happen to be in the Strait of Messina off the coast of Sicily, where this mirage got its name and fame!
Above: Graphic created by Ludovica Lorenzelli, DensityDesign Research Lab, CC 4.0. Wikimedia Commons
More Fun Exploring Temperature from SnowSchool!
- The easiest way to create a simple example of air temperature bending light (refraction) is to just boil a pot of water on a stove and observe the “squiggly” visual effect that is created as light moves through the different air temperatures.
- If you think a temperature inversion is present in your local area, the best to do is head up the mountain and into the sun. Bring sunscreen and and if you get lucky enough to see a Fata Morgana mirage be sure to get a picture!
- We’ll have more about exploring the temperature of the snow in an upcoming post, but if you want a sneak peak check out our video with NASA SnowEx scientist Megan Mason.
