ASHLAND, Wis. – Video shot in northern Wisconsin on Tuesday shows a weather phenomenon known as “pancake ice” floating on the surface of Lake Superior.
Pancake ice are small, disc-like areas of soft, slushy ice that float on the surface of freezing cold, rough waters.
The video of pancake ice on Lake Superior was shot by Cheryl Koval as temperatures plunged to zero degrees Fahrenheit overnight.
PANCAKE ICE IN MICHIGAN: WHAT IS IT?
Pancake ice begins as a layer of ice crystals that form on the cold water, according to NASA. If the water is rough, its waves cause the layer of ice crystals to break up to form little ice floats, which then crash into each other.
This crashing causes the floats to take on a round shape and to have ridges form along their edges, NASA said. As the rest of the float remains relatively smooth and flat, pancake ice is formed.
Pancake ice has previously been spotted on Lake Michigan, as seen in the video below.
They can also form in rivers, as seen on the surface of the Missouri River in central Missouri in February 2021.
Pancake ice can also form out at sea. When enough pancake ice piles up, they may form rafts.