Pilot JR Hott of Panhandle Helicopters snapped the spectacular shot, which shows low-lying clouds streaming ominously over high-rise buildings standing sentinel against the Gulf of Mexico.
The retired Navy diver, who has owned Panhandle for three and a half years, said he had no idea when he snapped the photo it would demand worldwide attention from the likes of CNN.
"I took and I thought it was really cool, so I put it on Facebook," Hott said, attributing the phenomenon to orographic lift -- something usually seen with fog on mountains. "We see it a few times a year, and it can happen in a minute."
"The relative humidity must have been very high just offshore, almost ready for fog to form anyway," said Dr. Forbes. "Because the clouds form so low down, and then they really get thick, almost obscuring the high-rises.
