Cold air brings “sea smoke” or “steam fog” to Minnesota lakes

As cold, pre-winter weather presses across large bodies of water still holding fall warmth, it creates wispy clouds of seasonal “steam fog.” Also known as “frost smoke” and “sea smoke,” it’s one of many categories of fog. Steam fog can look eerie and otherworldly, especially on large bodies of water such as Lake Superior, Lake Mille Lacs and Leech Lake. It adds seasonal drama for photographers and morning hikers until temperatures drop enough to start freezing lakes.

Bare-branched trees and intervals of at least partly clear skies should make it easier for Minnesotans to watch this week for the North Taurids meteor shower, expected to peak Tuesday night. This annual event, known for about five meteors an hour, rewards patience with bright slow-moving streaks across the sky, according to EarthSky. Coming from the debris of comet Encke, the fast-moving rocks that burn as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere appear to originate from the Taurus constellation. This year, the shower may be more active than usual, according to NASA.

Tall and prolific, late summer and early fall’s swaths of goldenrod flowers turn to fuzzy seed tops that look pretty when dusted with frost and provide food for small birds. Minnesota has more than two dozen kinds of goldenrod, which provide winter shelter for insects after the flowers have fed pollinators. If you see ball-like bulges on stalks, that’s a gall. Galls contain gall fly larvae, which emerges in the spring unless birds drill into it for a snack or humans swipe it for ice fishing.