Castform's Weather ReportVisitors to the shores of Lake Michigan were greeted by an interesting sight this week, as waves lapped against hundreds of massive ice balls.
The balls, or boulders, as some have called them, are formed when water from the lake begins to freeze and is pushed ashore by wave action, according to AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Jim Andrews.
As the waves lap the shore, the ice is tumbled, smoothed and frozen into a round shape.
The frigid air is about to give way to some above-normal temperatures and rain in the East.
The "Polar Vortex" is NOT...
We here at AccuWeather.com have seen the spike in the use of the term “Polar Vortex” during this cold wave. We wrote this post to clear things up.
The Polar Vortex is NOT any of these things:
This is a Polar PLUNGE. We can’t say for sure, but we don’t think that polar vortexes are created this way.
This is Polar ICE. It is tasty, but does not cause record lows in Chicago.
We understand your confusion with the rotation, but this is, in fact, the Polar Express.
This is, apparently, an un-Ballet. An (un)ballet would be a good place to be when the RealFeel temperature is below -70.
This is… IDK. But it scares us.
This is not a Polar Vortex – no, no, wait, it is. Sorry about that. Except that it's on Saturn.
This is Frozone. Although he can shoot ice out of his hands, he can’t keep the Midwest below zero for a week.
GOT MORE?
Now that the snowstorm has ended across the Midwest, temperatures have fallen to below zero in Chicago, St. Louis, Mo., and Indianapolis, Ind.
![<p><a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://theatlantic.tumblr.com/post/72005013708/right-now-its-as-cold-in-canada-as-where-our">theatlantic</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/01/right-now-its-as-cold-in-canada-as-where-our-rover-is-on-mars/282775/"><strong>Right Now, It’s as Cold in Canada as Where Our Rover Is on Mars</strong></a></p>
<blockquote>
<div class="dek">A frigid spell has brought Winnipeg’s temperature down to that of a planet more than 100 million miles further from the sun than we are.</div>
<p><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/01/right-now-its-as-cold-in-canada-as-where-our-rover-is-on-mars/282775/"><strong>Read more.</strong></a><em> [Image: NASA/JPL/MSSS]</em></p>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>]( https://64.media.tumblr.com/ecf32cae53fe4c046553a37c04d4ac68/tumblr_myslooHuEE1qcokc4o1_500.jpg )
Right Now, It’s as Cold in Canada as Where Our Rover Is on Mars
A frigid spell has brought Winnipeg’s temperature down to that of a planet more than 100 million miles further from the sun than we are.Read more. [Image: NASA/JPL/MSSS]
JUST IN: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie declares state of emergency ahead of winter storm, closes state offices tomorrow for all non-essential employees
Plunging temperatures will send overnight lows into the single digits in New York, with RealFeel temperatures in the -10s, as up to a foot of snow falls across the city and north to Boston. These conditions can be deadly, especially for those who have no where to go.
The worst of the storm will arrive overnight for the Northeast, bringing blizzard conditions from Boston to New York with wind gusts as high as 50 mph.
