It’s So Cold in Chicago That Lake Michigan Is Covered in Ice Pancakes
Guess what the Great Lakes and the Arctic have in common?
Strange ice formations are appearing in the Great Lakes of the American Midwest. The phenomenon is called “pancake ice,” and it only happens when it gets very, very cold.
I live in the Chicago area, and we are in the midst of a cold snap this January. The frigid temps have been doing some strange things to the waters of Lake Michigan.
Ice formations that look a lot like pancakes have been photographed floating across the freezing waters of Chicago’s shorelines.
Ice pancakes in the Arctic sea
In an article from WTTW, a photo taken by Sharan Banagiri at Loyola Beach at Rogers Park (10 miles north of downtown) showed a sea of round, flat discs of ice floating on the surface.
Pancake ice is a phenomenon that occurs routinely in the Arctic. Though less common in other parts of the globe, the strange ice formations can show up in any lake, river, or ocean if the weather conditions are just right. Chunks of ice that form in the cold waters start knocking against each other until they form elliptical shapes with raised edges.
According to the Met Office, a national meteorological service for the UK,
“Ice pancakes are a relatively rare phenomenon that tend to occur in very cold oceans and lakes. They are most frequently seen in the Baltic Sea and around Antarctica but also form relatively frequently on the Great Lakes of the United States and Canada.”
You can see the icy views of the Great Lakes from the International Space Station
Obviously, it’s too far away to make out details such as pancake ice. But, the International Space Station has a clear view of the snow and ice coverage over the Chicago area.
On January 15, a view from 250 miles above showed a sprawling city at night sparkling down below. And one week later, the same view looks more like a view of the North Pole. Chicago is completely blanketed in snow.
Check the ISS out on Twitter to see some cool views all over the globe.
Look up in the sky
You can even look up and see the International Space Station as it’s looking down at you. The station orbits Earth every 90 minutes and is visible from the ground when it's overhead. NASA’s Spot the Station website will tell you when your best chance of seeing it floating above will be.
According to NASA, it’s the third brightest object in the sky and looks like a fast-moving plane.
Cold, cold Chicago
As cool as strange icy formations look bobbing across the lake, I can’t help but find myself wishing for an early spring.
Note: a previous version of the article was originally published on NewsBreak.
