Mystery over Lake Balaton: it wasn't a cloud on the radar! 🌥️

A strange formation appeared on the radar images over Lake Balaton a few days ago, which at first glance looked like a cloud. However, the formation stretching from the southwestern tip all the way to the Tihany area was not born from the evaporation of the lake – as it turned out, the mass emergence of Balaton non-biting midges caused the interference.

According to Gábor Vasas, director of the Balaton Limnological Research Institute, the swarming of Chironomus balatonicus created the radar signal that appeared as a "floating cloud" on the meteorological images. This phenomenon is not uncommon in the area around the lake, especially during the summer months, when the midge larvae emerge en masse from the shallower coastal waters.

For locals and holidaymakers, this sight is not just an interesting natural phenomenon. On the shoreline between Keszthely and Tihany, the air often fills with tiny insects at this time, which can temporarily make swimming or walking along the shore difficult. Although the non-biting midges do not bite, during the swarming period many prefer to stay in covered places or in the water.

The radar phenomenon also highlights how closely connected the ecology of Lake Balaton is with weather monitoring. Researchers say that in the coming years it may be worth refining the radar systems so that insect swarms do not interfere with precipitation forecasts in the lake area. 🦟🌊

Source: hvg.hu