This post explains a striking optical event observed along Vancouver Island’s shoreline when the Victoria skyline appeared to hover and stretch above the horizon.
It summarizes the eyewitness reports and images, describes the atmospheric physics behind the phenomenon, and places the event in the broader context of how heatwaves interacting with cold coastal waters produce dramatic mirages.
What observers saw: a floating, distorted Victoria
On a hot summer day in the Pacific Northwest, residents and visitors around Port Angeles, Washington, reported an uncanny view: the skyline of Victoria, British Columbia, looked as if it were suspended above the sea.
Photographer Karen Sistek captured images of the city appearing to float and warp, with familiar buildings stretched into surreal shapes.
Observers described the scene as both beautiful and disorienting — distant structures seemed higher, closer, and oddly elongated.
The striking visuals drew attention not just for their aesthetics but for the atmospheric process behind them.
Identifying the phenomenon: a Fata Morgana mirage
The unusual effect was identified as a Fata Morgana, a rare and complex type of mirage.
Unlike ordinary mirages that create simple inverted or erect images, a Fata Morgana involves multiple refracted layers that can stack and warp the appearance of distant objects.
When conditions are right, coastlines, ships, or entire skylines can appear elevated, stretched, duplicated, or even fragmented.
How a Fata Morgana forms: the physics in plain language
At the heart of a Fata Morgana is a temperature inversion: a layer of relatively cold air near the surface trapped beneath a layer of warmer air.
This vertical temperature structure produces a sharp gradient in air density.
Light rays traveling from a distant object pass through these layers and bend (refract) because light changes direction when it moves between media of different density.
As Michael Kavulich of the National Center for Atmospheric Research explained, light always bends when crossing layers of different density.
In a Fata Morgana the bending is strong and complex enough that multiple refracted images can form and stack, exaggerating shapes and displacing objects from their true positions.
Key ingredients for this coastal mirage
The specific conditions that led to the Vancouver Island sighting included:
Why these events matter — and why they’re becoming more visible
From both a scientific and public outreach perspective, events like this are excellent teachable moments.
They illustrate fundamental optics and atmospheric dynamics in a way that’s visually compelling and accessible.
With increasing frequency of heatwaves, interactions between extreme warm air masses and cold coastal waters may make such mirages more noticeable along temperate coastlines.
How to observe safely and what to look for
If you’re hoping to witness a Fata Morgana, watch coastlines on hot days when offshore waters remain cool.
Use binoculars or a telephoto lens for detail.
Remember that appearances can be deceptive — photographs are useful for analyzing the geometry of the mirage.
Here is the source article for this story: Canadian skyline appears scrambled due to spooky mirage