• Monday-What'sUP June 12 - 03:52 pm

A trip to the top of Brockway Mountain in Copper Harbor is always a treat, but if you're brave enough to head up there while a storm is brewing, you're bound to witness some amazing sights. Michael Musiel, is one of the men in charge of maintaining the wind/solar set-up for Pasty.net's Wireless DSL on top of Brockway and just happened to be up there when this weather phenomenon was taking place. Doesn't it look like the Big Lake is sprouting some mountain ranges? I'm going to have to plead ignorance in describing what's really happening in this shot, since I'm certainly no weather expert. Maybe someone else (like Pasty Cam sponsor and local Meteorologist, John Dee) can chime in and tell us all what's happening with the clouds over Lake Superior!

Both beautiful and eerie at the same time. I love a good thunderstorm once in awhile; no winds.

WOW! That's some shot. You can't even tell there's a lake under there? Good going Michael!

WOW, also! Fantastic!

Good day and beautiful (if somewhat chilly) start to the week from SW MI.

We get some strange looking clouds with and without rain out here, but that is really strange looking.

Almost looks as though it's trying to form a water spout...

I wish I could have some of the Keweenaw's temps today; supposed to be 98 and humid in Houston, BLAH!!!!!

Wow! What a sight. Is that the leading edge of a cold front passing across the lake?

..Gary served on the Battleship USS IOWA (Navigation) on the North Atlantic in terrible storms... a couple storms at Bootjack (Portage Lake which is shallow) with the terrific winds off Superior reminded him of the North Atlantic....he loved it....not me..

What an incredibly spooky shot! Will be up there in 2 weeks! Can't Wait!

I saw this same storm on Memorial day weekend, 2006! I was at my sisters farm out on M203 that day, Sunday the 28th...(between the breakers and waterworks) We could see it coming, there was a definitive line in the sky. The clouds were so black, they came in really fast, and blew out just as fast! The temp went from really hot to FREEZING cold, but once the storm blew through it got hot again. It was so weird, I have never seen anything like it! It was super loud and really windy, the apple trees were bending sideways and the leaves were flipping upside down, back and forth and the fog was so thick, it looked like I could break pieces of it off. By the time I grabbed my camera, I was only able to get a passing shot. It didn't turn out very good. The weird part was that my dog KodiSue who absolutely HATES thunderstorms was not in the least bit afraid. She stood in the yard and watched as I scurried up onto the porch! My nephew was up on Brockway when the storm came in too! Probably close to where this was shot. He said it was cold and windy but passed quickly. Weird stuff, this wondrous Lake Superior creates!

Is that a "wall cloud" moving in?

I mentioned in my notes above, that perhaps John Dee, our local Meteorologist (and Pasty Cam sponsor), may be able to tell us what weather phenomenon is taking place in today's photo. John sent me the following in an email:

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Quote:

"Boy Mary. I really do not know exactly what would be causing that type of cloud formation. It looks to me like some kind of a localized lifting force like a gust front or something that was lifting the air enough to get it to condense and form those low lying clouds. They are clouds though, not fog. I would post this on the site myself, but I do not even think I am registered to post!
-John"

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Dang it -- just missed a boat! There's the wake...........

Lori, I also experienced that storm on Memorial Day this year. I have a home on Tamarack Hill and was doing yard work when suddenly the temp must have dove 20 degrees. I turned around and witnessed a fog so distinct that I first thought it to be smoke from a fire. And yes, it blew through FAST. The amazing U.P.

Oh wow, are these storm pics awesome or what? I love thunderstorms...and watching them move in over the lake. Absolutely fascinating. Thanks John for the information :)

Correction...Make that Memorial Day weekend

Afternoon All.
Looking at todays 'Bridge Cam' it looks like a Beauteous Maximonious day in the CC, unlike the picture above. Enjoy the day everyone.

This is really sweet! I wish I was there!! But my grandpa is. Hopefully he'll take sweet pictures like this for me!

Wow! What a shot!
If it weren't for the trees, you'd think you were on another planet.

Hi
I love looking at weather out over the Big Lake. At our place on Lake Huron, we've seen some great shows...and sometimes we can see it raining elsewhere while staying dry ourself.

Awesome picts today. I've seen one or two great storms up there, but nothing like the ones you lucky Copper Country folk get to see.

When we use to live in Eagle River our picture window faced the lake and we use to watch storms come accross the lake from our living room. It was really cool watching lighting getting closer and closer. It was quite a show. There was always the snow comming across as well, what a sight. Thanks for the great photo.

Glad I wasn't out in a boat then! CC

nice picts. i remain walter p. tampa

I was at Great Sand Bay when that front blew in on Memorial Day. We watched the fog bank way out over the lake for a long time. Then within maybe 10 min. it came rushing in, the winds were very strong and the temperature dropped 30 degrees!! I have a built in thermometer in my car. When I got out there that day, it was 84 degrees. When I left it was 55!! Unbelievable!!

WOW! These pics are fantastic. They're going in "My Pictures" for future use as backgrounds. I love storms (not around here though, they could turn into tornadoes). Anyway, we were up there Memorial Day weekend, but only went as far as Eagle River on Saturday. Sure wish we'd have gone up there on Sunday. When did this take place cuz we headed for home on Monday, and if it was Monday I would have missed it anyway. Seems to me my parents said it rained on Monday so that must have been the day. Sorry I missed it. It would have been quite the sight to behold!

Oh, and Shawn, your picture is great too! Thanks for sharing.

Spectacular picture! I love the vista from the top of Brockway Mountain and I wish I could have been there to see those clouds form.

When you are in da plane, and you see a line of storms like these, you look for a place to land in the opposite direction of these guys. Too many folks have tried to fly through and found nothing but pieces of aluminum littering the ground later. Ice and thunderstorms are the downfall of small planes and must be avoided at all cost.........one guys opinion after almost 3000 hours "up there"

....."Old-timers" at Bootjack said: "when you see the smallest whitcap on Portage Lake come in immediately".........it gets really rough, quickly,.. when the winds come off Superior...

Hello to all of you in my favorite part of the country, I have an answer to what these clouds are:
A roll cloud is a low, horizontal tube-shaped arcus cloud associated with a thunderstorm gust front (or sometimes with a cold front). Roll clouds are relatively rare; they are completely detached from the thunderstorm base or other cloud features, thus differentiating them from the more familiar shelf clouds. Roll clouds usually appear to be "rolling" about a horizontal axis, but should not be confused with funnel clouds.


Ps; I kinda of weather fanatic.