Great Lakes Ice Coverage Soars During Recent Cold Snap
A cold snap has led to a significant rise in ice coverage across the Great Lakes, impacting weather patterns in the region.
Great Lakes, Ice Coverage, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Cold Snap, NOAA
Detroit: The recent cold snap has really made a difference in the Great Lakes. Ice coverage has shot up, which is pretty cool to see.
It’s not enough to stop the lake-effect snow, but it’s a step in the right direction to help reduce those pesky snow squalls.
According to NOAA, about 23.2 percent of the Great Lakes were covered in ice as of January 23. That’s just shy of the usual 24 percent for this time of year.
Lake Erie is leading the pack with a huge jump in ice coverage. It went from 28.1 percent on January 15 to a whopping 85.1 percent just a week later. And it looks like it might keep climbing with these freezing temps sticking around.
Lake Huron is in second place with 25.3 percent ice coverage, while Lake Michigan has about 21.5 percent. Lakes Ontario and Superior are lagging behind at 13.4 and 8.2 percent, respectively.
Interestingly, Lake St. Clair has completely frozen over, hitting 100 percent coverage. That’s usually the first lake to do so.
To build up ice on the Great Lakes, we need those long stretches of freezing weather, which we’ve definitely been getting lately. The shallower lakes like Erie and Huron freeze up first, while the deeper ones hold onto their heat longer.
This year, we’ve already surpassed last year’s max ice coverage of just 16 percent, which was one of the lowest since records started in 1973. So, it’s nice to see some improvement!