Using a fog event approach, the local meteorological and synoptic characteristics of fogs that formed over the Grand Casablanca (GCB) region during a 9-yr period (2001–09) are investigated. A climatological study of fog, with emphasis on the fog temporal variability and spatial distribution, is carried out on the basis of hourly surface meteorological observations at two synoptic stations in the region. The fog events are classified into fog types, using an objective classification algorithm, and are characterized by their duration, intensity, and times of onset and dissipation. In addition, fog events are classified into two distinct categories (isolated and widespread) on the basis of their spatial extent. K-means cluster analysis is applied to the patterns of mean sea level pressure in ERA-Interim reanalyses at 0000 UTC to determine the synoptic circulation types as-sociated with fog occurrence in the GCB region.
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