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Sea Smoke

by Peter Geiger | Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 | From: Farmers' Almanac Blog

The old saying “where there is smoke, there is fire” doesn’t necessarily hold true for a phenomenon called “sea smoke”. This is a term I have heard several times this winter – possibly the result of numbingly cold air temperatures.  What causes it? “Sea Smoke” is caused by a large difference in the temperature on the surface of a body of water and the surrounding air temperature. When you see relatively cold temperatures ride over milder water, you will see “smoke” rise from the surface of the water.
 
This is exactly what happened  (for example) on Christmas morning, 1980 in New York City. The previous day, temperatures reached into the 40s and the temperature of the waterways (East River, Hudson River, Harlem River) were close to 50 degrees. During the night a surge of frigid Canadian air blew in, quickly bringing the temperatures down to zero on Christmas morning…. and remaining all day. New Yorkers who awakened and looked out their windows toward the riverfronts saw what appeared to be a “sea smoke” rising off of the water; the result of nearly a 50 degree difference between the water and air.
 
We have already experienced several arctic  blasts this winter with more on the horizon. The next time the temperature drops significantly, look toward an area water mass and you’ll most likely experience Sea Smoke (but no fire).

If you notice a hole in the upper left-hand corner of your Farmers' Almanac, don't return it to the store! That hole isn't a defect; it's a part of history. Starting with the first edition of the Farmers' Almanac in 1818, readers used to nail holes into the corners to hang it up in their homes, barns, and outhouses (to provide both reading material and toilet paper). In 1910, the Almanac's publishers began pre-drilling holes in the corners to make it even easier for readers to keep all of that invaluable information (and paper) handy.

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