Video: Lake Michigan fog sweeps across crystal clear waters

The natural phenomenon can pose a danger to those swallowed up in it

(YouTube )

These stunning scenes capture the moment a huge fog bank rolled in over the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan.

Andrew Ballard was out fishing with his father, Spencer, in Palette Bay, north Michigan, when he witnessed the natural phenomenon on Wednesday, The Detroit News reported.

Despite the terrifying, avalanche-like appearance of the encroaching white mass, 24-year-old Mr Ballard and his father reemerged from the fog unharmed.

But that is not to say it wasn't a hairy experience.

"We thought about pulling in our lines and heading to shore but we were curious, so we decided to see what it would be like inside," Mr Ballard told the newspaper.

"The wind was about 20mph, the waves got bigger and the temperature really dropped. Visibility dropped to about 30 feet, and you lost direction."

"The fog develops when warm moist air moves over really cold lake water,” meteorologist Deb Elliott told The Detroit News.

"Fog develops as the air is cooled and is then moved along by wind. It can very thick and extensive; if they were swallowed up in it, their visibility could drop to almost zero."

From a distance, however, it just looks rather beautiful.