The weather has the capability of creating some crazy phenomena.

100.7 WITL logo
Get our free mobile app

Take Michigan for example. It can be sunny and tepid one minute, and the next minute we're getting golf ball-sized hail.

But what about cold weather phenomena? And I'm not talking about blizzard amounts of snow. I'm talking about frozen sand sculptures.

Lake Michigan Frozen Sand Sculptures

If you had shown me a picture of this before I learned about it, I would have said that you were showing me an alien sculpture, hands down. I mean, take a look at it for yourself.

WOOD TV8 via YouTube
WOOD TV8 via YouTube
loading...

These sand sculptures were not made by aliens. Instead, they were created by the perfect weather conditions surrounding Lake Michigan.

Here's how they form;

  • The ground has to be good and frozen with a depth of several inches
  • Even though the ground has to be frozen, it also has to easily be moved by the wind; making sand the perfect ground to work with
  • The wind must stay consistently strong for several hours, blowing away anything loose and leaving behind anything frozen enough to remain stuck together
WOOD TV8 via YouTube
WOOD TV8 via YouTube
loading...

Basically, it's got to be cold and windy, which is exactly what's going on near Lake Michigan.

WOOD TV8 via YouTube
WOOD TV8 via YouTube
loading...

So no, it's not aliens, it's just earth science. Which is still pretty cool in my book.

WOOD TV8 via YouTube
WOOD TV8 via YouTube
loading...

If you want to see more of these sand sculptures, check out the videos below. Or heck, layer up, and make the drive to Lake Michigan for a day or weekend trip. Just make sure you go when it's cold enough outside, otherwise, the sand might not be frozen enough to stick together.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

KEEP READING: Get answers to 51 of the most frequently asked weather questions...

More From 100.7 WITL