Winter on Lake Michigan

Postcard US-2615869 to Finland shows a winter scene on Lake Michigan. However, when I bought this postcard during a layover at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport on August 27, 2013, I had no idea that the incoming winter in Chicago could be the 8th snowiest in history by early February, 2014. The unusual repeated arctic cold air assaults have over 60% of Lake Michigan frozen. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter "Biscayne Bay" is working to break ice on the southern Lake Michigan.

For Finnish people who are no strangers to a cold weather, here are the forecasts for Chicago and Helsinki in comparison.

Weather forecast for Chicago, IL

Weather forecast for Helsinki, Finland

Finnish Winter Activities

Postcard FI-1968291 from Finland shows typical Finnish winter activities. Ice swimming in Finland is a tradition connected to the sauna culture where the activity of swimming occurs during the winter season, either in outdoor open water or unheated pools. Equally entertaining and challenging is Ice fishing where you try to catch fish with lines, hooks or spears through holes on a frozen water body. Skiing is another popular winter sport. However, due to recent warm weather, snows were melted in some parts of Central Finland, which makes skiing impossible.