Spectacular photos capture ice rifts on Lake Balaton

Long cracks, or rifts, have been observed on the ice of Lake Balaton near Balatonfenyves. This rare winter phenomenon was photographed by Dr. Kata Bodor Stamlerné on Monday morning, according to Sonline.

The cracks are caused by major differences in temperature and are extremely loud, sometimes accompanied by an explosion-like noise. The cracks also indicate that it is still dangerous to walk on the ice of Lake Balaton.

The last time there was a large and thick ice cover on Lake Balaton was in early 2017, but at that time, heavy frosts had begun earlier. It's been years since the lake has frozen over, whereas until the end of the 1990s, it was considered unusual if there was a year when no ice cover formed on its surface.