“Steam devils” swirled in Chicago and Texas as steam rose from Lake Michigan and the Gulf of Mexico after an arctic freeze swept across the country, bringing record low temperatures with snow and freezing rain.
Images of this tranquil scene emerged over the weekend, showing steam rolling across the water off Chicago, Illinois, and Galveston, Texas, after the brutal weather put more than 140 million people under cold or wind warnings.
A social media user shared a Video Capturing the eerily beautiful sight of steam rolling over Lake Michigan on Sunday, he wrote: “You know it's cold when the lake is smoking… it feels like -31°F…”
Similar scenes were shot in Galveston, Texas Saltwater-Recon.com“as vapor mist/devils, twilight rays and low clouds mingle, creating what looks like a backdrop for a movie scene.”
The rare phenomenon is known as the “steam devil” and occurs when a small whirlwind forms over lakes and oceans during outbreaks of cold air while the water is still relatively warm.
“Steam devils” swirled around Chicago and Texas as steam rose from Lake Michigan and the Gulf of Mexico (pictured) after an arctic freeze swept across the country, bringing record low temperatures with snow and freezing rain
In Galveston, Texas, “steam fog/devils, twilight rays, and low clouds mingle to create what looks like a backdrop for a movie scene.”
Images of this tranquil scene emerged over the weekend, showing steam rolling across the water in Chicago, Illinois, and Galveston, Texas, after the brutal weather placed more than 140 million people under wind chill watches or warnings
“So the air near the lake is warmed by the water, rises quickly and can start rotating, rising into the sky and creating a vortex,” said Global News meteorologist Peter Quinlan.
In Canada, a “steam devil” was previously spotted appearing over Okanagan Lake as a blast of Arctic air began.
Temperatures below minus ten degrees contributed to the creation of this fascinating phenomenon over the relatively warmer water.
Meteorologist Alyssa Carbonneau told CBC: “Steam mist, sometimes called steam smoke, is forming on the lake.” When there are pressure gradient differences, it can start to rotate and expand into this rotating column of air.
“It is similar to dust devils that we see over dry land, rather than a tornado caused by a severe thunderstorm, and these tend to be accompanied by much stronger winds.”
The rare phenomenon is known as the “steam devil” and occurs when a small whirlwind forms over lakes and oceans during outbreaks of cold air while the water is still relatively warm
“So the air near the lake is warmed by the water, rises quickly and can start rotating, rising into the sky and creating a vortex,” said Global News meteorologist Peter Quinlan
The explosion in the Arctic caused temperatures to plummet from south to northeast, more than 5,000 flights were canceled or delayed and seven people died
More than 120,000 homes and businesses across the U.S. were without power early Tuesday, most of them in Oregon, Texas and Louisiana, after widespread outages occurred on Saturday
The explosion in the Arctic caused temperatures to plummet from south to northeast, more than 5,000 flights were canceled or delayed and seven people died.
More than 120,000 U.S. homes and businesses were without power early Tuesday, most of them in Oregon, Texas and Louisiana, after widespread outages occurred on Saturday.
New York City's LaGuardia Airport experienced the most disruptions on Tuesday, with 14 percent of flights canceled and 57 percent delayed. There were also significant disruptions at Bush International Airport in Houston and Reagan National Airport in Washington.
“The streak is over,” the weather service said of more than 700 days without significant snowfall in the Big Apple.
Wind chill could push temperatures below minus 30 degrees in the South and Mississippi Valley, with nearly 80 percent of the country experiencing below-freezing temperatures next week.
“SNOW IS COMING,” Mayor Adams’ office tweeted earlier Monday afternoon. “It's been over 700 days, but between 6pm tonight and 6pm tomorrow, 2.5 to 10cm of snow will fall.”
Record-breaking frigid air is expected across much of the country, including the Deep South, through Wednesday, according to the Weather Channel.
Although temperatures are expected to moderate by midweek, another round of bitterly cold air will spread from the central United States to the east during the second half of this week.
The brutal weather has left more than 140 million people exposed to wind chill warnings or warnings
Steam rises from the shores of Lake Michigan in Evanston, Illinois on Tuesday
Brooklyn, New York, is pictured early Tuesday. There had been no significant snowfall in the city for more than 700 days
Brooklyn, New York is seen covered in snow on Tuesday morning as an arctic freeze grips the US
Iowa's presidential nomination contest experienced its coldest temperatures on record Monday, delaying travelers and testing the mettle of NFL fans in Buffalo as a playoff game was delayed a day by windswept snow.
Classes were canceled Tuesday for students in major cities including Chicago – the country's fourth-largest public school district – Denver, Dallas, Fort Worth and Portland.
The storm was blamed for at least four deaths over the weekend around Portland, including two people who are believed to have died of hypothermia.
Another man died after a tree fell on his home, and a woman died in a fire that spread from an open-flame stove after a tree fell on a mobile home.
Three homeless deaths were under investigation in the Milwaukee area. They likely died of hypothermia, officials said.
A 64-year-old man was found dead under a bridge on Friday, and a 69-year-old man was pronounced dead on Saturday after being found in a vehicle.
A 40-year-old man was found dead near railroad tracks Monday, the Milwaukee County coroner's office said.
In Utah, where nearly three feet of snow fell on the mountains in 24 hours, a snowmobiler was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer Sunday evening about 70 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, the Utah Highway Patrol said.
In Wyoming, a backcountry skier died after triggering a 50-foot-wide avalanche.
According to the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center, the victim was swept into a ravine and through brush and trees and then remained buried for about fifteen minutes before being found by a companion in the mountains south of Alpine on Sunday afternoon.