Our Arctic air masses played a cold-weather trick on Lake Superior on Tuesday.
Lake Superior is still about 90% frozen. This is well below the historical average ice extent in late January.
Lake Superior ice sheets on January 30 compared to the previous year
NOAA
Freezing temperatures in the morning drifted across lake temperatures in the freezing 30s.
Lake Superior water temperature
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Laboratory
The relatively warm water transferred heat and moisture to the frigid air layer above, giving rise to some interesting atmospheres just above the surface of the lake.
As the southwesterly winds persisted, long clouds and snow fell across the length of Lake Superior, blowing eastward into the Canadian side of the lake.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s NAM 3 km model captures the progression of a lake-effect snow belt that drifts into Ontario overnight.
North American Mesoscale Forecast System 3 km model from 6pm Tuesday to midnight Wednesday
NOAA via Tropical Tidbits
The weather never sleeps. And Lake Superior never stops interacting with air masses in the upper Midwest.
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