MUSKEGON, Mich. — It was a windy day along the shoreline of Lake Michigan yesterday, with gusts of 40 mph. Those winds were pulling in cooler air into the region behind a cold front, and that formed a stark temperature contrast between the relatively warm waters of Lake Michigan.
Water temperatures are still in the 60s and 70s there, warmer than the air that came in contact with it yesterday afternoon and evening, and much warmer than the air aloft. With warm air near the surface of the lake and much cooler air aloft, rapidly rising motion can occur in the atmosphere. Sometimes, the result is funnel clouds and/or waterspouts.
Although we didn’t have any reports of a waterspout yesterday, we did have a viewer post on our Facebook page two photos of a funnel cloud located near Pere Marquette Beach in Muskegon. She said the pictures were taken around 7:40 PM. Here’s another, wider shot of the funnel cloud with a beautiful mix of sun, clouds, and showers in the background. Enjoy!
