Tuesday evening, if you happened to be looking up, you may have seen some rainbow-esqe clouds high in the sky.

In lake-effect cloudiness the lake water is warm and the air aloft is cold. The warmer air at the lake surface rises, cools and makes clouds. Today the lake surface is colder than the air above.

Cloud streets are parallel bands of cumulus clouds that form when frigid air near the surface blows over warmer waters, while a warmer air layer (a temperature inversion) rests over the top of both.

Sunsets on Lake Erie are beautful with clear skies and yet there’s something magical about them when Mother Nature mixes in some dramatic dark clouds.