"Tea Kettle" Lake Champlain Causes November Gloom And Beauty

Relatively warm, steamy air rising into the chilly
November air mass over St. Albans, Vermont yesterday
afternoon created this dramatic cloud. 

One of several reasons why a good chunk of Vermont is usually so hopelessly cloudy in November is Lake Champlain.  

The lake is warm relative to the chilly blasts of air we usually get this time of year. 

The warm moisture rising into the cold air creates steam. It's pretty much the same reason why you see your breath when outdoors in nippy weather.

Lake Champlain is much bigger than most (but not all!) peoples' mouths of course. It essentially acts as a giant tea kettle. That means the lake steam can easily collect as fog, low clouds, or even rain and snow showers. 

Wednesday's snow showers were more intense east of Lake Champlain than in other sections of Vermont because they got that boost of moisture from the lake.  

On Thursday morning while most of Vermont was partly sunny, the Burlington area was stuck under low, thick, gray and cold clouds until early afternoon.  At that point, skies were able to abruptly clear and temperatures shot up to levels comparable to the rest of the state.   

Every once in awhile, the steam from Lake Champlain can create some beauty. In St. Albans, Vermont last evening, the warm lake created low, dark billowy clouds over the lake.  That, combined with some colorful high clouds, created a unique sunset as the photos and video below shows.

Low, darker clouds created by moisture coming off the
relatively warm Lake Champlain, combined with high clouds 
created a unique and lovely sunset Thursday evening
as viewed from St. Albans, Vermont. 

(As always, mobile users might not be able to see the video at the bottom of this post. If that's the case, click on this hyperlink).   

Usually, the Champlain tea kettle effect produces gloom, but it can create some minor drama as well.  Sometimes, a few inches of snow can accumulate down wind of the lake if conditions are just right. 

During intensely cold winter weather,  the steam rising from the lake combined with clouds overhead can create cold weather funnels. 

 In rare cases these sort of waterspouts can make landfall, but unlike more traditional tornadoes and waterspouts, they are not strong enough to be dangerous.

Usually, though, Lake Champlain helps make our gloomy Novembers even darker.  That's a small price to pay for the gorgeousness of "The Sixth Great Lake." 

Here's a quick video of last evening's sunset: