Great Lakes ice cover at record low for this time of winter. The five lakes stood at 2.92% ice cover as of Tuesday. Based on ice-cover records going back to 1973, they’re usually at about 40% ice coverage collectively at this time of year.
by Wagamaga
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“We are at a historic low for ice cover for the Great Lakes as a whole,” said Bryan Mroczka, a physical scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor.“We have never seen ice levels this low in mid-February on the lakes since our records began in 1973.”As of Tuesday:Lake Superior was at 2.31% ice cover.Lake Michigan was 2.88% ice cover.Lake Huron was at 5.72% ice cover.Lakes Erie and Ontario were essentially ice-less, as was non-great Lake St. Clair.
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Winter began with very warm temperatures, slowing ice formation. A frigid week or two in January gave way to warm air again, continuing to hold back ice development. The maximum ice cover reached this year on the Great Lakes was between 15% and 20% in the third week of January. Great Lakes’ basin-wide maximum ice cover usually occurs around the end of February or the beginning of March and is on long-term average about 53%.
*Historic*
Since 1973.
While the article is interesting I feel it’s being presented as fear porn. That’s cool if you enjoy that stuff.
Bummer. Going to have to expect this occur more frequently.