Michigan’s Arctic Blast May Trigger Light Pillars

While arctic blasts aimed at Michigan make your face sting, they can also offer a rare glimpse of a unique winter weather phenomenon.

Have you ever seen a light pillar?

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Perhaps you've seen light pillars before and haven't even realized it! They say the winter's clear, cold nights provide some of the best conditions for stargazing. So bundle up and head outside. Here's why Michigan is one of the most magical places to be during winter:

While it's not uncommon to see the Northern Lights in Michigan, when temperatures drop below freezing you may also see giant pillars of light which seem to be reaching to the sky from Earth. Why does this happen? West Michigan's Fox17 meteorologist Kevin Craig explains,

When it gets this cold we can see vertical beams of light shoot upward into the sky from light sources. We call these light pillars. They are caused by light reflecting off of tiny ice crystals in the atmosphere, but you generally need very cold air in place.

See, winter in Michigan isn't all that bad! Even as temperatures fall to 20 below we're reminded of the brighter side to colder weather, which may take place in the skies above. Look for these mesmerizing pillars to appear during the early morning hours or after sunset.

But don't forget about the Great Lakes!

Winter offers a side to Lake Michigan most tourists never get to see: pancake ice, giant orbs of ice, sand hoodoos, ice volcanoes, enchanting caverns of ice, and more. I guess that's why they call Michigan a "Water-Winter Wonderland!"