I remember driving through the far northern reaches of California and mountainous areas of Oregon during a bitter winter 12 or 13 years ago. It was somewhere between 30 below and 40 below. This superchilled air blew over the surface of small ponds and lakes that had yet to freeze (maybe they were fed by hot springs, or had streams feeding them that kept the surface choppy) and formed billowing clouds of steam. It looked like these were boiling cauldrons. Very impressive stuff.
This is that phenomenon on a grand scale. Instead of ponds in the northern Californian high country it’s the Great Lakes. An amazing shot . . . it’s on my computer desktop now.
