9.2 Blog Discussion: Weather Hazards

One dangerous weather condition most people have experienced is fog.  Fog is a low cloud created when the air near the ground is cooler than the dew point.   Fog can form for many reasons.  Some different types of fog are hail fog, mixing fog, freezing fog, advection fog, and radiation fog (Ahrens & Henson, 2019). 

Hail fog forms due to the rapidly cooling temperatures after a hail storm.  Mixing fog can come in multiple forms, such as frontal fog (when rain is evaporated, cool air near the ground) or steam fog (cold air moves over warm water) (National Weather Service, n.d.).  Advection fog is caused by the movement of warm air over a cold surface, which is what causes fog over San Francisco (Ahrens & Henson, 2019).  Radiation fog is from the cooling of the earth overnight.  

Fog can be deadly due to its ability to create a condition called spatial disorientation, which can be fatal.   Such was the case for a National Guard UH-60M Blackhawk that claimed 11 lives in March of 2015 (Martinez, 2015). 

Sensory conflicts and illusions cause spatial disorientation. This can block sensory information in your brain, causing a loss in the sense of direction (FAA, 2011).  This can be triggered by a loss of hearing or vision, although a loss of vision is the common cause in aviation (SKYbrary, 2017).   


Fun fact: Spatial disorientation even affects birds.  Bats are the only animal able to fly without vision (FAA, 2011).

One cause is pilots failing to shift from visual flight procedures to instrument flight procedures when entering the fog (Martinez, 2015).

In 5 to 10% of aviation accidents, special disorientation is a contributing factor.  Of accidents that are contributed to this condition, 90% result in fatalities (FAA, 2011).

References

Ahrens, C. D., & Henson, R. (2019). Meteorology Today. Boston: Cengage.

FAA. (2011). Spatial Disorientation. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/pilots/safety/pilotsafetybrochures/media/spatiald_visillus.pdf

Martinez, L. (2015, June 4). Spatial Disorientation in Fog Cited in Black Hawk Crash That Killed 11. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/spatial-disorientation-fog-cited-black-hawk-crash-killed/story?id=31523482#:~:text=with%20news%20about-,Spatial%20Disorientation%20in%20Fog%20Cited%20in%20Black%20Hawk%20Crash%20That,training%20mission%20off%20Florida%20Pan

National Weather Service. (n.d.). How Fog Forms. Retrieved from https://www.weather.gov/lmk/fog_tutorial

SKYbrary. (2017, September 20). Spatial Disorientation. Retrieved from https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Spatial_Disorientation#:~:text=Spatial%20disorientation%20is%20defined%20as,or%20other%20points%20of%20reference.

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