'An extraordinary scene': Watch as Arctic sea smoke from Lake Michigan blankets Chicago
Sea smoke is known as "Arctic" sea smoke because it is most commonly seen in the Arctic but when the conditions are right it can happen in the Lower 48. The weather phenomenon happened on the shores of Lake Michigan Friday, where wind chill temperatures were between 35 and 40 below zero.
Sea smoke rises from Lake Michigan as feels-like temperatures drop well below zero
FOX Weather's Robert Ray is in Chicago and shows just how cold it is as sea smoke rises from Lake Michigan.
Conditions created by the Christmas week bomb cyclone caused Arctic sea smoke from Lake Michigan to waft in over Chicago amid bitter cold and snow.
FOX Weather correspondent Robert Ray was in Chicago on Friday, where sea smoke was rising, creating an eerie landscape in Chicagoland.
Lake Michigan water temperatures were hovering around 40 degrees while the air temperature was 5 below zero. As the relatively warm water evaporates, it quickly condenses in the frigid air into a thin layer of steam.
"All of those winds kicking up, it's (looks) like a giant hot tub," Ray said.
Sea smoke gets its "Arctic" moniker because it is most commonly seen in the Arctic.
A man walks along Lake Michigan at sunrise as temperatures hover about -8 degrees on December 22, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Sub-zero temperatures are expected to grip the city for the next couple of days with wind chill temperature dipping as low as -40 degrees. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
However, when it gets cold enough, sea smoke can also be found in the Lower 48. And sometimes it's called "steam fog."
If the water temperature drops below 32 degrees, parts of Lake Michigan could freeze over in the days ahead. Ice chunks were already forming at the lake shore on Friday.
WHAT IS SEA SMOKE? SEE THE RARE PHENOMENON
"This is an extraordinary scene here, and it's so, so cold," Ray said, adding wind chills ranged between 35 and 40 degrees below zero.
A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for northern and central Illinois and northwest Indiana through Saturday morning.
Arctic sea smoke covers Chicago during Christmas week blizzard
FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray was reporting from Chicago where the wind chill temperature was 35 below but Lake Michigan was around 40 degrees creating a winter weather phenomenon known as Arctic sea smoke.
Meteorologists with the NWS in Chicago warned residents if they have to leave home to wear multiple layers and cover as much skin as possible.
Ray said most Chicagoans appeared to heed the advice as most roads were empty, minus delivery trucks on Friday.