A pretty wild photo of a frozen lighthouse is making the rounds on social media today. People are sharing it thinking the lighthouse is another victim of the polar vortex that's taken over the United States this week.
But they're wrong. The picture was actually taken last year.
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Holy crap. RT @maureenjohnson OH MY GOD LIGHTHOUSE MONSTER @jheil Lighthouse on Lake Michigan in Chicago today. Man. pic.twitter.com/oVVkZuzqnd
— Helene Wecker (@helenewecker) January 7, 2014
That stunning frame, which shows the Saint Joseph Lighthouse in Saint Joseph, MI, was taken by photographer John McCormick in January of last year. The photo was uploaded to his Flickr page on Jan. 23, 2013.
And however incredible that picture is, reality today is even more striking. The Saint Joseph Lighthouse is covered by even more ice today. Photographer Joshua Nowicki took a few pictures of the lighthouse this morning and uploaded them to his Facebook page.
Post by Josh Nowicki.
Post by Josh Nowicki.
According to McCormick, this kind of event is not totally uncommon.
"The lighthouses along the Lake Michigan shoreline here in Michigan occasionally ice up like this in the coldest part of winter," McCormick said in an email. "The strong gales and waves pound them until they look amazing like this, encased in ice."
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With additional reporting from Fran Berkman
Image: John McCormick