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Advection of fog/stratus across western Lake Superior

By Scott Bachmeier •

GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) image, Metop ASCAT and RTMA surface winds, METAR surface reports, and surface frontal analysis [click to enlarge]

GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) image, Metop ASCAT and RTMA surface winds, METAR surface reports, and surface frontal analysis [click to enlarge]

A GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) image (above) showed a bank of fog and low stratus (FLS) covering much of the western portion of Lake Superior at 1600 UTC on 03 November 2015. Overlays of Metop ASCAT and Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis (RTMA) surface winds showed the long fetch of northeasterly winds that were moving this FLS feature toward the southwest; this southwestward (and eventual inland) advection could be followed on GOES-13 Visible images (below).

GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) images with METAR surface reports [click to play animation]

GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) images with METAR surface reports [click to play animation]

A more detailed view of the FLS deck was provided by a 375-meter resolution Suomi NPP VIIRS Visible (0.64 µm) image at 1848 UTC, with overlays of METAR surface reports, RTMA surface winds, and surface frontal analysis (below).

Suomi NPP VIIRS Visible (0.64 µm) image with METAR surface reports, RTMA surface winds, and surface frontal analysis [click to enlarge]

Suomi NPP VIIRS Visible (0.64 µm) image with METAR surface reports, RTMA surface winds, and surface frontal analysis [click to enlarge]

The GOES-R Low Cloud Thickness product shown below (derived using GOES-13 data) indicated that the maximum depth of the FLS feature was around 2200 feet (yellow color enhancement).

GOES-13 Low Cloud Thickness product [click to enlarge]

GOES-13 Low Cloud Thickness product [click to enlarge]

Categories: Fog detection, GOES-13, GOES-R, Metop, Suomi NPP, VIIRS