The
polar vortex has kept Lake Michigan frozen for the most part of winter. For
example, in Chicago, Illinois, temperatures reached -30C (-23F) during the peak
of the cold, causing ice shelves to form on the lake – hills formed from waves
crashing over existing ice piles. But everything eventually comes to an end.
Spring is bringing warmer weather to the area, destroying the ice and
transforming the region into a magical wonderland. Moving water underneath the
ice is pushing the sheets to the surface, shattering them into mesmerizing
patterns, visible along South Haven’s pier.
But
as much as people want to capture this beautiful phenomenon in photos, the US
Coast Guard has warned that the ice should only be viewed from afar, as it is
dangerous to stand or walk on the unstable surface. “No ice is safe ice
especially this time of year,” US Coast Guard BMC Grant Heffner told MLive. “The ice is certainly deteriorating
and breaking up.”
