In recent days, coverage has reached nearly 50%. The long-term average annual maximum ice cover is about 54%; maximum coverage usually arrives beyond mid-February. Ice cover is highly variable. Lake Michigan has had as much as 93% of its surface covered, in 2014, while in 2002 coverage hit a low of 12%.
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What is the ice coverage on Lake Michigan?
In recent days, coverage has reached nearly 50%. The long-term average annual maximum ice cover is about 54%; maximum coverage usually arrives beyond mid-February. Ice cover is highly variable. Lake Michigan has had as much as 93% of its surface covered, in 2014, while in 2002 coverage hit a low of 12%.
How much of Lake Michigan is frozen right now?
Lake Superior = 41.2% (long-term average AMIC is 63.9%) Lake Michigan = 30.5% (long-term average AMIC is 40.2%)
Is there still ice on Lake Michigan?
Ice cover is now shrinking on Lake Michigan. With milder temperatures coming after this coming Saturday’s deep freeze, ice cover will continue to shrink. Lake Huron was the lake that spent the most days with ice amounts above normal. Lake Huron had above normal ice from late January to late February.
When did Lake Michigan freeze over?
In records dating from the middle 1800s, even in the coldest winters, Lake Michigan has never completely frozen over. It has been as much as 90 percent or more ice-covered in 1903-04, 1976-77, 1978-79, 1998-99 and 2013-14, but the lake is a massive reservoir of heat that is released only slowly into the air.
Do the Great Lakes freeze over?
Ice cover on the great lakes is highly variable from year to year, but on average 53% of the lake waters freeze.
Did Lake Michigan ever freeze over?
Will Lake Michigan freeze this year?
Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are both likely to see less ice than ever at peak freeze in 2022. “Michigan and Huron were both projected to be lower than they’ve been as far as the maximum ice cover for the year, about 10 and 12%, respectively, where the lowest on record was about 13 and 23%, respectively.”
Are the Great Lakes frozen now?
The shallow areas of the region, Lake St. Clair, North Channel Saginaw Bay, and Green Bay are in the final stages of forming ice cover and show completely frozen over. As of February 13, Great Lakes Ice Coverage 2022 stands at 41.8%. All of the Great Lakes are slightly above their average ice cover rates.
Are the Straits of Mackinac frozen?
Ice shards, glittering a hue of blue, rip from the Straits of Mackinac’s frozen water. This natural phenomenon attracts locals, tourists and photographers, who hope to capture the perfect moment when the sun hits the frozen water just right, allowing the bright blue ice to shine vividly.
Does Lake Michigan ever completely freeze?
What is the current ice cover on Lake Michigan?
Recent updates from the NOAAGreat Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) report that as of January 30, 2022 there is above average ice cover on Lake Michigan. Currently, the ice coverage for all the Great Lakes is at 39%. For over 30 years, NOAA-GLERL has been studying, monitoring, and predicting ice coverage on the Great Lakes.
How much ice did Lake Michigan have in February?
Lake Michigan reached an ice coverage high of 37% in February, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, which records and models ice coverage. The long-term average maximum cover for Lake Michigan, going back to 1973, is about 41%.
Why has ice cover increased in the Great Lakes this year?
Ice cover increased in the new year as chilly temperatures froze the Great Lakes region. In recent days, the lakes have been about a quarter to more than 40% covered, sticking close to the long-term average for early February, according to data going back to 1973.
What will the Great Lakes ice cover be in 2021?
The most recent ice cover forecast, updated on Feb 14th, 2021, predicted a maximum Great Lakes ice cover of 38%. The long-term average annual maximum ice cover (AMIC) is 53.3%.