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Tag Archives: Lake Michigan

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December sea smoke on Lake Michigan at -8°F

I’m not sure whether I’ve seen sea smoke in December before, but it is close to January. With bonus of Jack Frost on the window.

Accuweather

Sea smoke is essentially just fog above water, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Samuhel. The occurrence of sea smoke is similar to the steam that appears over a boiling pot of water or a hot bath.

“It happens when the air mass is so cold it makes the water steam like a pot on a stove would,” Samuhel said. Sea smoke is also sometimes referred to as arctic sea smoke, frost smoke, steam fog or sea fog.

In order for sea smoke to occur, the air has to be very cold and the water has to be comparatively warm. As a light wind of cold air sweeps in, it cools the warm air immediately above the water, which makes the air dip below the dew point. The air is only able to hold so much moisture before it condenses into fog, or sea smoke.

Sea smoke on Lake Michigan at -8ºF
December 23, 2022 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Photography, Weather Tagged Chicago, Hyde Park, Lake Michigan, photo, Promontory Point, sea smoke, video, weather Reply

January sea smoke on Lake Michigan at -2°F

January continues to be the best month for sea smoke on Lake Michigan.

Accuweather:

Sea smoke is essentially just fog above water, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Samuhel. The occurrence of sea smoke is similar to the steam that appears over a boiling pot of water or a hot bath.

“It happens when the air mass is so cold it makes the water steam like a pot on a stove would,” Samuhel said. Sea smoke is also sometimes referred to as arctic sea smoke, frost smoke, steam fog or sea fog.

In order for sea smoke to occur, the air has to be very cold and the water has to be comparatively warm. As a light wind of cold air sweeps in, it cools the warm air immediately above the water, which makes the air dip below the dew point. The air is only able to hold so much moisture before it condenses into fog, or sea smoke.

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Promontory Point, Hyde Park, Chicago

January 26, 2022 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Photography, Weather Tagged Chicago, Hyde Park, Lake Michigan, photo, Promontory Point, sea smoke, weather Reply

Smith Bros. Coffee and Port Washington

words and images Posted on September 5, 2021 by dlschirfSeptember 5, 2021
August 29, 2021

J found out Smith Bros. Coffee in Port Washington, Wisconsin, would be closed permanently after Labor Day weekend. On Sunday we took a quick trip to stop there and a few other places.

It was a good day for me to be in an air-conditioned car — the car thermometer read 97ºF at the Lake Forest Oasis, where the sky was sunny and the atmosphere heavy and oppressive with heat and humidity.

As we progressed northward I noticed enough dark clouds gathering to obscure the sun. Near Milwaukee the skies opened up, accompanied by some lightning and thunder. I’m not sure how long the bad spell lasted — maybe 20 minutes. By the end of it, the temperature had dipped to about 78ºF — that’s more like it.

I found a slightly different route into town that took us past Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve. It’s now on my list.

Our first stop was Bernie’s Fine Meats, which is the source not only of deliciously addictive but unhealthful garlic summer sausage, but also many unhealthful European sweets. I spent well over $100 there. It’s showing in the waistline I no longer have.

Smith Bros. is across the street, part of the Duluth Trading store, which will expand into the Smith Bros. space when it closes. I ordered an iced coffee and sandwiches to go, and picked up coffee beans and an insulated travel mug. Of course I posed with the fisherman sculpture which was installed in 2020. It more or less replicates the sign on the roof, down to the fish on the man’s back, but without the man’s pipe. Our health-conscious times!

Reservations at Twisted Willow were not to be had, so we ordered food and drove around until it was ready to be picked up, about 40 minutes. We re-found the light station, but more important we found Port Washington has extensive lakefront parks. This was a good time to find them because sky was still dramatic from the on-and-off thunderstorms in the area. We decided to return with dinner and use one of the many picnic tables.

After we ate the salad portion of dinner in a strong breeze, during which another rainbow appeared, J took a brief detour toward Belgium and Harrington Beach State Park, home to one of my favorite views on County Road D — a single tree by the side of the road that leads to a stop sign and Lake Michigan. Fail to stop at your peril.

On the way back to the interstate I noticed the sky that had produced drama and rainbows earlier now gave a fire-breathing dragon cloud. What a great way to end a great day.

Posted in Adventure, Blog, Photography | Tagged friend, Lake Michigan, photo, travel, weather, Wisconsin, Wisconsin state park | Leave a reply

February chill

February 7, 2021

This year, the weather cooled off in February instead of January, but so far I’ve seen only a faint wisp of sea smoke once. Even though it is mostly above 0ºF, it’s cold enough outside, with frequent fits of snow.

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February 11, 2021 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Photography, Weather Tagged Chicago, Great Lakes, Hyde Park, Lake Michigan, photo, Promontory Point, weather Reply

Late June and summer storms

I’ve no statistics to support my idea that June seems to be prime time for summer storms. It was on June 30, 2011, that a sudden hailstorm devastated Garfield Park Conservatory. Yesterday, this evening storm followed a few afternoon ones. No hail by me, but interesting skies.

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Developing storm
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Storm moving in on Promontory Point
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Sky suddenly brightens and a rainbow’s visible through the water left on windows from downpour
Sunset through the storm
June 27, 2020 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Photography, Weather Tagged Great Lakes, Lake Michigan, photo, Promontory Point, weather Reply

Spring sunrise over Promontory Point

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June 5, 2020 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Video, Weather Tagged Chicago, Great Lakes, Hyde Park, Lake Michigan, photo, Promontory Point, sunrise, video, weather Reply

Second (single) rainbow

This rainbow appeared only eight minutes after I took a photo of the double rainbow. The entire sky, including color, had changed that fast.

Rainbow 8 minutes later
May 23, 2020 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Photography Tagged Great Lakes, Lake Michigan, photo, Promontory Point, weather Reply

Double rainbow

The plan was to go to Messenger Woods Nature Preserve again, but a slew of tornado and thunderstorm watches and warnings put me off. I stayed home, which let me witness this.

Double rainbow
May 23, 2020 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Photography Tagged Great Lakes, Lake Michigan, photo, Promontory Point, weather 1 Reply

Promontory Point, May 20, 2020

Promontory Point
May 21, 2020 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Photography, Weather Tagged Chicago, Great Lakes, Hyde Park, Lake Michigan, photo, Promontory Point, weather Reply

Sky over Lake Michigan

Untitled

I’m reminded of a few evenings on Lake Superior when the sky and water blended into an otherworldly blur.

May 14, 2020 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Photography, Weather Tagged Chicago, Great Lakes, Hyde Park, Lake Michigan, photo, Promontory Point, weather Reply

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