A fleeting wonder, indeed.

After opening to the public for the first time in more than a decade on Monday, it looks like the ice caves of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin will be closed for the season after a winter storm blew through.

“The ice shelf near Meyers Beach at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore was broken up during a winter storm that began on 2/17,” the National Park Service reported. “The stretch of sub-zero temperatures and calm winds that formed stable ice is unlikely to return before spring.”

Webcam images from wavesatseacaves.cee.wisc.edu show the change between 4 p.m. on Tuesday and 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

Before Monday, the last time the caves were open to the public was 2015.

Watch for more updates at nps.gov/apis/mainland-caves-winter.htm.

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