Category: Weather

A Very Foggy Morning

Fog at sunrise in the Mormon Lake Basin.
Fog at sunrise in the Mormon Lake Basin.

A few days ago we had a cold front move across the area and overnight temperatures fell below freezing for a few hours in the higher terrain. It turns out that October is a good month for fog formation from these first frontal incursions. Area lakes still have relatively warm water from the recently ended summer. The passage of the cold air over the warm water allows for increased moisture flux from the warm water into the colder air that increases the dewpoint (and relative humidity) and can result in fog. Also, the shorter days–and longer nights–allows radiation fog to develop in the valleys.

Fog in the Mormon Lake basin with a colorful but diffuse glory.
Fog in the Mormon Lake basin with a colorful but diffuse glory.
A small sailboat lies at anchor on a foggy morning at Upper Lake Mary.
A small sailboat lies at anchor on a foggy morning at Upper Lake Mary.
Fog and Upper Lake Mary.
Fog and Upper Lake Mary.

With that in mind, I found myself driving past Lake Mary to Mormon Lake before sunrise on Tuesday morning. As I approached Lake Mary visibility dropped quickly to 1/4 mile, then 1/8 mile, and then 1/16 mile. Visibility improved once I passed both Lower and Upper Lake Mary. At Mormon Lake, there was fog swirling in the basin and the rising Sun was just starting to illuminate the summits of the San Francisco Peaks.

Fogbow over Upper Lake Mary.
Fogbow over Upper Lake Mary.
Fogbow over Upper Lake Mary.
Fogbow over Upper Lake Mary.

After the fog dissipated in Mormon Lake, I returned to Lake Mary where the fog was still present and I was able to capture fogbows plus a nice photo of a sailboat anchored in the lake.

Time-lapse video of the swirling fog in the Mormon Lake basin.

Time-lapse video of the swirling fog and glory in the Mormon Lake basin.

The time-lapse videos show remarkable motion of the swirling for over Mormon Lake as well as the colorful but diffuse glory that was present.

A very fun morning.

Fog definitions from Weather.gov:

(1) Steam fog (arctic sea smoke). Steam fog forms when water vapor is added to air that is much colder, then condenses into fog. It is commonly seen as wisps of vapor emanating from the surface of water. This fog is most common in middle latitudes near lakes and rivers during autumn and early winter, when waters are still warm and colder air masses prevail.

(2) Radiation fog (ground or valley fog). Radiational cooling produces this type of fog. Under stable nighttime conditions, long-wave radiation is emitted by the ground; this cools the ground, which causes a temperature inversion. In turn, moist air near the ground cools to its dew point. Depending upon ground moisture content, moisture may evaporate into the air, raising the dew point of this stable layer, accelerating radiation fog formation.

Fog in Northern Arizona

This Winter has been relentless with snowfall now at about 200% of normal for Flagstaff. Many of these storms have made it difficult to get to various locations for shooting photos of the weather. Fortunately, the last few storms have allowed me to do some pre-dawn travel to favorite locations.

The first two photos are from the morning of 16 March 2023 when I thought there was a good chance of low clouds and fog in Grand Canyon. In fact, there was too much fog and I was only able to briefly see into the canyon while at Lipan Point. I finally moved westward to Moran Point where there was a larger break in the fog allowing sunlight to illuminate the canyon.

Early morning fog in Grand Canyon from Lipan Point.
Early morning fog in Grand Canyon from Lipan Point.
Early morning fog in Grand Canyon from Moran Point.
Early morning fog in Grand Canyon from Moran Point.

A week later we had a snow-turning-to-rain event that left the roads relatively easy to travel and I ventured out to Mormon Lake on the morning of 23 March 2023. The abundance of moisture over the previous few days resulted in lots of fog in low-lying basins including Lake Mary and Mormon Lake. Clear skies to the east allowed the rising sun to illuminate the San Francisco Peaks in the distance.

The distant San Francisco Peaks rise above fog filling Mormon Lake basin.
The distant San Francisco Peaks rise above fog filling Mormon Lake basin.
Fog fills Mormon Lake Basin. A faint Glory is seen left of center while a short segment of a fogbow is right of center.
Fog fills Mormon Lake Basin. A faint Glory is seen left of center while a short segment of a fogbow is right of center.
A fogbow along Upper Lake Mary.
A fogbow along Upper Lake Mary.

I was also interested in capturing images with a Glory/Brocken Spectre and fogbows. Both were faintly visible in some of the photos where I was above the fog. A better fogbow photo was shot when I was in the fog.

And here is a time-lapse video of the swirling fog in the Mormon Lake basin.

Time-lapse video of fog swirling in Mormon Lake basin.

The medium-range forecasts indicate that Winter is not yet done.

Snow, Snow, and More Snow

This has been an exceptional winter for snowfall. Currently, we are in the top 10 for all-time snowfall amounts and we still have a month (or more) to go. This much snow brings a lot of work clearing the driveway, sidewalks, and even the roof.

But there is an upside and we get to ski. An earlier post showed a day spent on the San Francisco Peaks. There are also some nice trails and small hills closer to our home and we have found ourselves skiing this gentle terrain several times this winter.

Heading out of Fort Tuthill County Park.
Heading out of Fort Tuthill County Park.
Outside the boundaries of the park are a few small hills that allow us to get in some downhill runs on our skis.
Outside the boundaries of the park are a few small hills that allow us to get in some downhill runs on our skis.
We just go up and down a bunch of times.
We just go up and down a bunch of times.
But first we have to dig ourselves out and clear the driveway. Note that the road is not yet cleared.
But first we have to dig ourselves out and clear the driveway. Note that the road is not yet cleared.
Sidewalk tunnels.
Sidewalk tunnels.
This chart shows that we are having an "Extreme Winter" in Flagstaff.
This chart shows that we are having an “Extreme Winter” in Flagstaff.

This chart shows that we are having an “Extreme Winter” in Flagstaff.

Fortunately, we are experiencing a break in the winter storm pattern and the warm temperatures are melting the snow. But it will take time.

Full Moon at Grand Canyon

There was a full Moon this past weekend (05 February 2023) and we decided it would be fun to spend a few days at Grand Canyon and do some photography and hiking.

The nearly-full Moon rises above the North Rim of Grand Canyon.
The nearly-full Moon rises above the North Rim of Grand Canyon.

We arrived in the early afternoon at the East Entrance to avoid the possible long lines at the more popular South Entrance. Our first stop was at Desert View because I wanted to take some updated photos of the interior of the Desert View Watchtower. First attempts were with a 24mm wide angle but it was not wide enough. So, back to the car to get the 17–35mm ultra-wide lens.

Upward view of the interior of the Desert View Watchtower, Grand Canyon.
Upward view of the interior of the Desert View Watchtower, Grand Canyon.
Interior artwork in the Desert View Watchtower, Grand Canyon.
Interior artwork in the Desert View Watchtower, Grand Canyon.

For the Moonrise we went to the Visitors Center parking area and walked along the Rim Trail to capture the nearly-full Moon rising over the North Rim. Unfortunately, distant high clouds prevented seeing the Moon until it was well above the horizon. No matter, it was still very nice. While waiting for the Moon, I shot photos of hikers ascending the South Kaibab Trail near the Ooh-Aah Viewpoint with the late afternoon sun illuminating the rock faces.

Vishnu Temple in the distance behind Yaki Point, Grand Canyon.
Vishnu Temple in the distance behind Yaki Point, Grand Canyon.
Hikers ascending the South Kaibab Trail, Grand Canyon.
Hikers ascending the South Kaibab Trail, Grand Canyon.
Testing the new Nikon lens at Grand Canyon.
Testing the new Nikon lens at Grand Canyon.

The following day also included a photoshoot of the rising Moon but we had plenty of time before that and found ourselves hiking down Bright Angel Trail. The trail was covered in packed snow and foot traction was helpful. We opted to only hike down as far as 1½ Mile Rest House before returning. I didn’t time the descent but the return ascent was 57 minutes. Not too bad for 1.5 miles and 1120′ vertical gain.

Snow covers the Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon.
Snow covers the Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon.

The Moonrise photography went well with the Moon rising in the notch between Cape Royal on the North Rim and Wotans Throne in the Canyon.

The full Moon rises between Cape Royal on the North Rim and Wotans Throne in Grand Canyon.
The full Moon rises between Cape Royal on the North Rim and Wotans Throne in Grand Canyon.
Early morning sun illuminates the Tower of Set and Horus Temple as seen from Hopi Point, Grand Canyon.
Early morning sun illuminates the Tower of Set and Horus Temple as seen from Hopi Point, Grand Canyon.

The following morning we arose early to see the sunrise from Hopi Point. With the passage of a weak cold front during the night I was hoping for some dramatic clouds. Nope. Nothing. Clear skies but there was the setting Moon in the west. As a consolation I got early morning light on the Tower of Set and Horus Temple.