2 weeks Ago By Jesse Ritka
FARGO — We are far from freezing all the lakes completely over but this recent cold snap is helping cool the water down. We’ve been treated to plenty of "smoke on the water" lately, although the foggy phenomenon called sea smoke is not actually smoke and it doesn’t form only on the seas, it forms on the lakes in our region. ADVERTISEMENT Sea smoke can only be created when the water is relatively warm compared to the air temperature.
Detroit Lakes water temperature started in the 40s at the beginning of November but slowly cooled into the 30s by the end of last month when the chilly temperatures in the teens and single digits cooled the air immediately above the lake water. The top of the warm water begins to evaporate, adding moisture to the air right above the surface of the lake. That layer of air just above the water then cools below the dew point, allowing the moisture within the air to condense into a fog, also called sea smoke.
But this doesn’t occur every time cold, drier air moves over warmer lake waters: if the wind is too strong then the formation of steam fog will be thwarted. So watch the water on a cold, clear day with light winds and you may be able to catch the condensing cloud. If the lakes are not frozen over when the air temperature drops to twenty below zeros, the water moisture can freeze to create an ice fog or frost smoke.
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