“Unfortunately, what you’re seeing today is not fog surrounding the Mackinac Bridge but smoke coming from the wildfires and our neighbors to the North.” -The Mackinac Bridge on X (which I won’t link to)
Yesterday morning the Mackinac Bridge Cam captured smoke so dense that it looked like the bridge was shrouded in fog! There’s less today but it’s still an astonishing amount of smoke so be sure to keep an eye on your local air quality because as the map shows, it’s not great right now!
Snow squalls are in the forecast across Michigan as a cold front rushes in, beginning today and lasting into Thursday. Drivers should be aware, as these can be a serious hazard if you’re out on the road when a squall whips up. Snow squalls cause white-out conditions and can leave roads icy. They are forecast to develop in West Michigan this afternoon, then over a several-hour period tonight in Southeast Michigan as a strong cold front arrives, National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists in the Grand Rapids and Detroit offices said. The front is expected to spark some rapidly-changing weather conditions.
Paula got this shot of snow squalls buffeting the Mighty Mackinac Bridge back in January of 2018. See more in her Winter 2017 gallery including this reminder than for all its problems, snow can be SUPER FUN!!!
Joe got these great shots on October 31st of the Mackinac Bridge and a freighter & shared them saying “Mackinaw City has a ghost ship for Halloween!” You can see more of his pics & those of others in the Mackinaw City, Michigan group that he manages on Facebook.
The Mackinac Bridge Walk is a Michigan tradition that takes place every year on Labor Day morning. People may begin their walk on either end Monday, September 2024 anytime between 7 AM and 11:30 AM and walk as much of the bridge as they are able to do before the bridge reopens to traffic at noon. Walkers may start their Mackinac Bridge Walk from Mackinaw City or St Ignace at either end of the Mighty Mac, and there are no longer busses traveling across the bridge during the walk. Get all the details from the Mackinac Bridge Authority.
The photo above shows the freighter Herbert C Jackson passing under the bridge, and Mike Rezabek took the pic of the walk below from the deck of the Jackson to complete the 360 view. Click for more of Mike’s shots!!
If you’ve been following Michigan in Pictures for any length of time, you are almost certainly familiar with the work of Michigan Nut aka John McCormick. He just announced that his 2025 Michigan Calendars are available so what are you waiting for??
I saw a couple other photos of this cloud as it rolled across the Straits of Mackinac & northeast Michigan the other day but wowzas – the Mighty Mac takes it!! Our friends at the Earth Science Picture of the Day have an excellent post on the difference between roll clouds & shelf clouds:
Roll clouds and shelf clouds are found near the leading edge of thunderstorms and form when relatively cool air, from the storm’s downdraft, forges ahead into the warm, moist air that’s feeding the storm. The main difference between roll clouds and shelf clouds (both are called arcus clouds) is that a roll cloud is detached from the parent thunderstorm, whereas a shelf cloud (right) is affixed to the base of a cumulonimbus cloud.
NOTE: Just learned that this picture is from 2018 – still love it! (buy it here)
Sixty years ago this week a person standing next to Michigan’s Mackinac Bridge might have been witness to an amazing sight: a six engine U.S. Air Force nuclear bomber flying between the spans of the bridge, barely clearing the structure. The stunt was roasted in the local press, which declared the incident “capricious” and “foolish”, and ended the military pilot’s flying career.
The incident, which took place on April 28th, 1959, involved Air Force Captain John S. Lappo, a native of Muskegon, Michigan. Lappo flew his B-47 nuclear bomber under the Mackinac Bridge.
The Mackinac Bridge is five miles long but there is only 155 feet maximum clearance between the bottom of the deck and the waters of the Great Lakes (Lake Huron and Lake Michigan) below. The B-47 bomber is 28 feet high, meaning there wasn’t much margin for error in Lappo’s flying.
The Michigan National Guard shared this this is a pic of four A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and a KC-135 Stratotanker flying (safely) over Michigan’s iconic Mackinac Bridge back in 2016. The aircraft were based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County, Mich. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Elizabeth Hollicker) You can see their latest pics on Flickr.
UP TV-6 shares that the Mackinac Bridge Authority is expecting about 20,000 crossings of the bridge this weekend, about the same as 2021. Whether you’re traveling or staying put this weekend, I hope you have a good one & remember those who have put their lives on the line for this country.
mLIve’s Mark Torregrossa shares that although it might be a little cool today, much of Michigan’s lower peninsula will leap into the 70s and even low 80s on Saturday. In the Upper Peninsula and within a few miles of a Great Lake, you’ll only have temps in the 60s. Still, nothing to sneeze at right?
Julie got this great shot of the melting ice at Mackinac last April. See more in her Spring & Summer gallery on Flickr.
Most of Michigan will see highs in the 50s or 60s today and while there’s (of course) still some snow & subzero temps ahead, the temperature trend is most definitely UP!!
