This week ice pancakes were found along Chicago’s shoreline of Lake Michigan.
Sharan Banagiri’s photos were taken at Loyola Beach at Rogers Park about 10 miles north of downtown. Banagiri told CNN these photos were taken on a walkway on the way to a lighthouse. Banagiri noted that the temperature at the time the photos were taken was around -6 degrees Celsius (21 degree Fahrenheit).
This time of year, because of the bitter cold temperatures across much of the northern US, peculiarities such as ice pancakes, ice bites, and ice balls pop up.
Ice pancakes, much like their namesake, look exactly like you think they would — round flat discs made of ice. They are ommon in the Arctic but typically only start making an appearance in the Lower 48 states once the temperatures get well below freezing for several days.
The phenomenon is limited strictly to bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, or oceans.
Ryan Alioto also took advantage of the cold temperatures moving across the Great Lakes region by taking photos and video with his drone on Thursday, while flying it over Lake Michigan in Chicago. He told CNN that at the time he took the footage the temperature was around 17 degrees.