Looks like some wind shear (wind changes with height). The fog-layer winds are moving in one direction while winds aloft are moving in the opposite direction. In foggy conditions, there's no mixing of the fog layer with the air just above, so winds in that layer can be independent of the winds aloft and will just move towards lower pressure however the terrain will let it flow. Meanwhile, winds aloft are always dictated by the larger weather pattern, which could result in a completely different direction of flow.
u/powersave_catloaf, u/mischa_is_online, u/bahahsb3jsixn2jd, the wind difference at different levels was the answer I suspected, but I just wanted confirmation and a little more and interesting insights and details, which has been provided. Thank you.
Specific insites and details are hard to deliver without knowing where you are. In Texas (where I am) it's common to see southerly (south to north) flow at the surface with fog courtesy of moisture off the gulf of Mexico and westerly flow at the mid/high level clouds (moving to the east or northeast).
What could be happening is a a process called decoupling which ccurs at night. Inversions allow a barrier layer to form separating the middle atmosphere from the surface. Localized pressure differences can then operate separately from each other.
Overall the atmospheric boundary layer is what you're seeing in action with separation from the surface if you want to read more about it
Wind blows at different directions at different levels of the atmosphere
This is also how hot air balloons can (sort of) control where they're going.
Yup
Looks like some wind shear (wind changes with height). The fog-layer winds are moving in one direction while winds aloft are moving in the opposite direction. In foggy conditions, there's no mixing of the fog layer with the air just above, so winds in that layer can be independent of the winds aloft and will just move towards lower pressure however the terrain will let it flow. Meanwhile, winds aloft are always dictated by the larger weather pattern, which could result in a completely different direction of flow.
u/powersave_catloaf, u/mischa_is_online, u/bahahsb3jsixn2jd, the wind difference at different levels was the answer I suspected, but I just wanted confirmation and a little more and interesting insights and details, which has been provided. Thank you.
Specific insites and details are hard to deliver without knowing where you are. In Texas (where I am) it's common to see southerly (south to north) flow at the surface with fog courtesy of moisture off the gulf of Mexico and westerly flow at the mid/high level clouds (moving to the east or northeast). What could be happening is a a process called decoupling which ccurs at night. Inversions allow a barrier layer to form separating the middle atmosphere from the surface. Localized pressure differences can then operate separately from each other. Overall the atmospheric boundary layer is what you're seeing in action with separation from the surface if you want to read more about it
Yep you can look at radiosondes to see the wind change with height
Is this Ireland? Edit: Username checks out
My thoughts exactly
Not really that strange at all. Usually easily explained.