Remarkable “sea smoke” has been billowing over Lake Michigan as temperatures remain below freezing across the United States.
The natural phenomenon was captured on video and shows the strong winds carrying the freezing fog across Chicago.
It comes at a time when tens of millions of Americans will endure more days of bitter cold, snow and ice storms as a one-two punch hits the US this week. A lake-effect snowstorm is also threatening to bury cities across the Midwest as more snowfall is expected around the Great Lakes.
Wednesday offered a brief reprieve for much of the country after an Arctic blast killed at least nine people, blanketed half of the U.S. in snow and knocked out power for thousands.
Longer-term forecasts still call for very cold temperatures until after the weekend, along with snow even in areas that haven't seen much of it for most of the winter.
Remarkable “sea smoke” has been billowing over Lake Michigan as temperatures remain below freezing across the United States
Ice covers flowers in Lake Oswego, Oregon, amid an ice storm that threatens to topple towering trees onto power lines
Huge snowfall in Buffalo, New York, where ice is expected to persist all week
The “sea smoke” observed over Lake Michigan occurs due to the temperature difference between cold air and warmer water. Between the two boundaries there is a thin layer of air in which water forms. The warm air rises and the water vapor then condenses into fog as it reacts with the colder air.
Many countries are at least still shivering from extremely low temperatures. The National Weather Service had wind chill watches or warnings in effect for Wednesday for 26 states, from North Dakota to Florida.
The wind chill was predicted to drop air temperatures even further – as low as -25°F in parts of North Dakota, -16°F in Chicago and -12°F in Nashville.
Even Tampa, Florida, was under a wind chill warning with frigid air forecast in the 20s, and Austin and San Antonio, Texas, could break daily low records, falling to around 10°F.
If that wasn't bad enough, Florida's Atlantic side was also hit by tornadoes, leaving thousands without power in St. Lucie and Martin counties.
In dramatic video, one of the twisters could be seen barreling across Interstate 95 near Palm City, Florida, as cars raced to get out of its way.
The extreme weather is largely due to an ice storm that hit the Pacific Northwest over the weekend, freezing areas that normally only receive winter rain before moving east. A second storm was forecast to hit the area on Wednesday and continue for the rest of the week, moving across the country and causing a second freeze.
“Unfortunately, another explosion in the Arctic is expected to follow soon,” the National Weather Service said.
Snow and ice cover the St. Joseph Lighthouses in Michigan as waves crash along the Lake Michigan ice shelf that has formed at Tiscornia Beach
A woman uses her phone while walking in freezing temperatures in New York City
An elderly homeless man warms his hands at the fire he lit in a Chicago encampment
Patrick Sahr is outside just after sunrise, shoveling snow from his car and driveway after at least 18 inches of new snow fell overnight — on top of the three feet that arrived in Buffalo, New York, over the weekend
Temperature forecast for major cities for Saturday, there will be no respite from the cold all weekend
Significantly below-average temperatures will spread south across the northern and central Plains on Thursday before reaching the southern U.S. on Friday.
“Although this surge in Arctic air does not look quite as extreme as the first, bitterly cold temperatures are still possible in the Central Plains this weekend,” it said.
By the end of the weekend, wind chills will be as low as -22°F in Kansas City and below zero in Memphis, Tennessee and Chicago.
Lake-shaped snow threatens Midwestern cities and snowfall is expected to continue through the weekend.
The cold air and windy conditions will cause even more snow to accumulate. Cities like Grand Rapids saw a drop of 26.8 inches, which is already more than the January average.
About 30 states could see snow for the rest of the week as this second storm moves across the country, mostly in the north but also as far south as Tennessee.
The snow is not expected to cause a major deluge, but 1 to 5 inches could fall this week in cities like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Cleveland.
The Great Lakes and places like Buffalo and Watertown, New York, could get another 4 feet of snow on top of the 40 inches that fell over the weekend and since then.
Other parts of the country were forecast to return to normal winter weather, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s on Thursday along the Gulf Coast.
But the Pacific Northwest will by no means be spared, with the second storm hot on the heels of the first, with 80,000 homes still without power on Wednesday.
“Winter weather will continue to be prominent in the Northwest as a back-to-back series of Pacific storm systems bring additional waves of moisture to the region and a stubbornly cold air mass prevails,” the weather service said.
A woman charges her Tesla car in subzero temperatures in Michigan
Workers clear snow from a sidewalk in Des Moines, Iowa, amid record-breaking snowfall
Skiers were treated to a spectacular sight as strong winds swept across the mountains of Breckenridge, Colorado
Kellsey Jane holds 9-year-old Chihuahua Steven wearing a sweater in Armstrong Park while it's freezing in New Orleans and even the Gulf Coast is feeling the cold
Snow blankets the landscape in Killington, Vermont as temperatures drop well below zero
Tens of millions of Americans will endure more days of bitter cold, snow and ice storms as a one-two punch hits the U.S. this week
Parts of the Pacific Northwest were under an ice storm warning through Wednesday morning, threatening to add to the damage from a powerful winter storm that hit the region over the weekend.
Areas of southwest Washington and western Oregon – including the state's largest cities of Portland, Salem and Eugene – expected a quarter to an inch of ice, while freezing rain was forecast in the Seattle area.
The extreme weather will continue in the region until the end of the week, but the worst will be inland, where massive snowfall is forecast from Thursday.
“The heaviest snowfall is expected in the Cascades, northern Rockies, Wasatch and portions of the central Rocky Mountains in Colorado, where snowfall totals of more than 12 inches are likely in a storm and rates may exceed 2 inches per hour at times.” said the weather service.
The northern high plains east of the Rocky Mountains will also be severely affected, particularly Montana, where 15 to 20 centimeters will fall – even more in some areas.
The Rocky Mountains in Colorado will see up to two feet of snow from now through Friday morning, with the same snow starting in Nebraska and Missouri on Thursday.
Earlier winter weather in New York and Philadelphia ended a drought of sorts, and enough snow fell in both cities to play.
The heavy snow caused a cheerful polar bear named Luna at the Buffalo Zoo to go viral when he created snow angels as the flakes fell from the sky.
Schools were closed, bus service curtailed and warming shelters opened in many places, while officials warned of continued treacherous road conditions and the possibility of new power outages as crews struggled to restore power to thousands who had been without power for days.
Snow will fall in Buffalo, New York on Wednesday. Heavy lake snowfall was forecast in Buffalo, with up to 10 cm per hour through the afternoon
Icicles form on light poles at Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in Paterson, New Jersey
A dog skis in the snow as massive flooding hits much of the United States
The forecast came as much of the United States grappled with bitter weather that threatened power supplies in some places.
Another day of record cold temperatures swept across much of the Rocky Mountains, the Great Plains and the Midwest on Tuesday, with wind chills below minus 30 degrees extending into the mid-Mississippi Valley.
The Tennessee Valley Authority, which provides electricity in seven states, asked customers to voluntarily conserve electricity, citing high electricity demand due to the cold. A similar appeal came from the grid operator in Texas.
In Oregon, transportation officials closed 47 miles of Interstate 84, a major east-west highway that runs from Portland through the Columbia River Gorge, because of the threat of ice.
In the mountains, the National Weather Service warned of heavy snow in the Cascades with wind gusts of up to 50 mph mixed with freezing rain and ice that could make travel “very difficult to impossible.” A storm warning was in effect until Thursday afternoon.
The Pacific Northwest is more known for rainfall and shouldn't expect such arctic temperatures, but the heavily forested region is particularly vulnerable to the threat of falling trees and power lines, especially during ice storms.
“We're lucky to be alive,” Justin Brooks said as he used a chainsaw Tuesday to cut the trunks of two huge trees that had narrowly missed his home in Lake Oswego, Oregon, when they fell Saturday.
A snow-covered school bus sits in a parking lot in Wheeling, Illinois
During freezing weather in New Orleans, a fountain at the historic BK House & Gardens freezes
Zoe Weldon gestures as she returns from the water after swimming with a group calling themselves “Endorphins” in the cool waters of Lake Ontario at sunrise
PG&E workers work to restore power to the area following a storm Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Lake Oswego, Oregon
Justin Brooks works to clear fallen trees around his home in Lake Oswego on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, as the area prepares for freezing rain and heavy snow
Elsewhere in Lake Oswego on Tuesday, arborist Ryan Cafferky scaled a 150-foot tree to begin the arduous process of felling it. The city has classified the 120-year-old tree as a danger to the public because there is a risk it could fall, he said.
In the Portland metro area, about two dozen commuter buses had suspended service or were rerouted to avoid dangerous roads since storms hit the area a few days ago.
Weekend weather with snow and high winds has been blamed for at least seven deaths, including a man who died when a tree hit his home in Lake Oswego and a woman who died when a tree smashed into a recreational vehicle in Portland, trapping her and caused a fire, authorities said.
Authorities say five people in Oregon are believed to have died of hypothermia.
The forecast of an icy morning prompted Portland Public Schools, the state's largest district, on Wednesday to cancel classes for a second day, citing concerns about possible power problems, burst pipes and unsafe routes and parking lots.
A tree rests on a home after a storm moved through the Lake Oswego area
Endangered tropical plants are covered with a plastic tarp along a sidewalk during freezing weather in New Orleans on Tuesday
A fountain in Antioch Park in downtown Houston is still running as ice forms on it Tuesday
A driver is pushed through the snow in Nashville on Tuesday. A blizzard blanketed the area with up to 20 centimeters of snow and freezing temperatures
Florence Street Department employees shovel snow from a sidewalk near City Hall on Tuesday in downtown Florence, Alabama
The Beaverton School District also canceled classes Wednesday, noting that some buildings still lacked power and heat.
Courts, libraries and parks were also closed in Portland and other parts of Multnomah County.
County officials extended the weather emergency until noon Wednesday and decided to keep a record 12 shelters open for another night.
According to the district, 1,181 people slept in the emergency shelters on Monday evening, breaking the previous night's record of 1,136.
Officials urged volunteers, citing the high need for emergency shelter in an area where thousands of people live outdoors and are exposed to the cold.
“The real limitation for us right now is staffing,” said Dan Field, director of the county-city joint homeless office. “We need to have enough people to keep the shelter doors open.”