"Perma-cloud" persists as long as snow cover sticks around

As any lifelong Michiana native knows, the sun can be very hard to come by this time of year.

Only a few slivers of sunshine have graced Michiana skies to start the new year. So far, the perma-cloud has stayed stubborn.

The reason for the stubborn shallow clouds has to do with the snow on the ground. As the snow melts, it evaporates, but with temperatures stuck near the freezing mark, the damp air condenses gets stuck a few thousand feet above the ground.

It takes a very strong high-pressure system or a nearby turbulent weather system to stir up skies enough to see the sunshine this time of year. 

The clouds will dominate the sky for the foreseeable future before the monotony ends, and some (possibly) snowy changes arrive by the middle of the month.