iN PHOTOS: Funnels of steam spiral over Okanagan Lake delighting onlookers

South Okanagan residents spotted spouts of water vapour spiralling into the air over Okanagan Lake today thanks to the deep freeze.  It was the first time Penticton resident Courtney Robinson saw the steaming funnels and she took a photo of them early in the morning on Okanagan Beach. "I was so excited to see something so cool on the lake," she said. "I was in awe and super excited so I braved the cold to get the shot." The meteorological marvels are known as steam devils. They form on cold days when the lake is much warmer than the air, according to a Global Okanagan report https://globalnews.ca/news/10222518/winter-2024-steam-rising-okanagan-lakes/ . The cold air close to the lake gets warmed up by the water and rapidly rises, starts rotating and lifting into the sky similar to a dust devil. Robinson wasn't the only one enjoying the sight as photographers across the valley took photos and videos of the rare winter phenomenon.  If you have photos of the steam devils to share to the collection, send them to news@infonews.ca mailto:news@infonews.ca .  To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie mailto:sainslie@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .