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The objective of this work is to better understand freezing fog/drizzle conditions using observations collected during the Fog Remote Sensing and Modeling project (FRAM-S) that took place at St. John's International Airport, St. John's, NL, Canada. This location was ~1 km away from the Atlantic Ocean coast. During the project, the following measurements at one minute resolution were collected: precipitation rate (PR) and amount, fog/drizzle microphysics, 3D wind speed (Uh) and turbulence (Uh'), visibility (Vis), IR and SW radiative fluxes, temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH), and aerosol observations. The reflectivity and microphysical parameters obtained from the Metek Inc. MRR (Microwave Rain Radar) were also used in the analysis. The measurements were then used to obtain freezing fog/drizzle microphysical characteristics and their relation to visibility.

The Canadian Airport Nowcasting Project (CAN-Now) has developed an advanced prototype all-season weather forecasting and nowcasting system that can be used at major airports. This system uses numerical model data, pilot reports, ground in-situ sensor observations (precipitation, icing, ceiling, visibility, winds, etc), on-site remote sensing (such as vertically pointing radar and microwave radiometer) and off-site remote sensing (satellite and radar) information to provide detailed nowcasts out to approximately 6 hours. The nowcasts, or short term weather forecasts, should allow decision makers at airports such as pilots, dispatchers, de-icing crews, ground personnel or air traffic controllers to make plans with increased margins of safety and improved efficiency. The system is being developed and tested at Toronto Pearson International Airport (CYYZ) and Vancouver International Airport (CYVR).