{"id":55301,"date":"2023-10-23T18:59:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T18:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/?p=55301"},"modified":"2023-10-27T14:45:51","modified_gmt":"2023-10-27T14:45:51","slug":"super-fog-causes-multi-vehicle-pileup-along-interstate-55-in-louisiana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/archives\/55301","title":{"rendered":"Super Fog causes multi-vehicle accidents along Interstate 55 in Louisiana"},"content":{"rendered":"
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GOES-16 Nighttime Microphysics and daytime True Color RGB images, centered on the I-55 accident site [click to play MP4 animation]<\/p><\/div>\n

A Super Fog<\/strong><\/a> event — caused by the combination of dense fog and smoke from a large swamp fire just southeast of Lake Pontchartrain — was responsible for multi-vehicle accidents along Interstate 55 (between Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain) during the early morning hours on 23 October 2023<\/strong><\/a> (meda report<\/strong><\/a>). Before a patch of high clouds moved across the area, 1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector<\/strong><\/a> GOES-16 (GOES-East)<\/em> Nighttime Microphysics RGB<\/strong><\/a> imagery from the CSPP GeoSphere<\/strong><\/a> site (above)<\/strong><\/em> displayed the swamp fire thermal signature as a cluster of darker purple pixels, with its brighter white smoke-filled cloud plume beginning to move west-northwest across Lake Pontchartrain (toward the I-55 accident sites). After sunrise, True Color RGB images showed the continued west-northwest transport of smoke from the swamp fire; the fog\/stratus over I-55 between the 2 lakes eventually dissipated by about 1900 UTC.<\/p>\n

Around 8-9 AM CST (1300-1400 UTC), GOES-16 Low Instrument Flight Rules (LIFR<\/strong><\/a>) Probability values (below)<\/strong><\/em> were 70% in the vicinity of the I-55 vehicle accidents — but began to decrease as the fog (and visibility) between the 2 lakes slowly improved throughout the morning hours. LIFR Probability is a component of the Fog\/low stratus (FLS) Products<\/strong><\/a> suite.<\/p>\n

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GOES-16 Low IFR Probability product [click to play animated GIF | MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n

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Dense fog & smoke have combined to form what is known as Superfog (yes, it is the technical name) & this is still heavily impacting I-55 between Ponchatoula & LaPlace. The interstate was still closed according to @La_DOTD<\/a> due to multiple accidents. Fog is slowly improving. pic.twitter.com\/xwovJBbuco<\/a><\/p>— NWS New Orleans (@NWSNewOrleans) October 23, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>