Steam devil
![Figure 1. Steam devils on Lake Michigan 31 January 1971, from the paper which first named and reported the phenomenon.](/Images/godic/202502/13/Lyons_and_Pease_steam_devils_and_steam_fog0400.jpg")
![Figure 2. Arctic sea fog with a narrow steam devil at 45°, Lake Champlain, Essex, New York, 15 January 2009](/Images/godic/202502/13/Steam_devil_Lake_Champlain_1_arrow0400.png")
![Figure 3. Steam devil at Big Island, Hawaii. The large plumes of vapour are caused by lava entering the ocean.](/Images/godic/202502/13/Steam_devil_Hawaii_arrow0400.png")
A steam devil is a small, weak whirlwind over water (or sometimes wet land) that has drawn fog into the vortex, thus rendering it visible. They form over large lakes and oceans during cold air outbreaks while the water is still relatively warm, and can be an important mechanism in vertically transporting moisture.