Lake Michigan and Winter Steam

n the video above, the temperature of the air is much colder than the temperature of the water. The water in the lake has yet to freeze. The freezing air has very little water vapor in it (that's why it's so dry). The lower the temperature gets, the less water vapor can stay in the air. The point at which water in it's gas form turns into liquid water is called the dew point. This interaction between the temperature and water and the dew point is how you gets things like clouds, fog, dew on the ground, frost, etc.