As Chicagoans cozied up inside to avoid the bitter cold, puffs of vapor settled over the surface of Lake Michigan making it look like a steamy caldron of soup. Days later, the sun poked out illuminating a thin, sparkling layer of ice along the shoreline. A historically warm beginning to winter followed by a plunge in temperatures last week likely created this curious phenomenon, then rapid .
NASA and NOAA announced that 2023 was the hottest year Earth has experienced, causing severe human and economic impacts worldwide. Models predict that next year could be even hotter.