What is the ice coverage on the Great Lakes?

What is the ice coverage on the Great Lakes?

The long-term average for maximum Great Lakes ice coverage is about 53.3%. This record high coverage rate for the Great Lakes was 94.7%, set in 1979. The record low ice coverage in the Great Lakes was 11.9% set in 2002.

What percent of the Great Lakes is covered in ice?

Ice coverage is highly variable, but experts say it’s lagging well below average. It’s late January, and 2.4 percent of the surface area of the Great Lakes is covered with ice.

How much of lake Michigan is covered with ice?

The long-term average annual maximum ice cover (AMIC) is 53.3%. The predicted maximum seasonal ice cover for each lake is as follows: Lake Superior = 46% (long-term average AMIC is 61.5%) Lake Michigan = 27% (long-term average AMIC is 40%)

When was the last time the Great Lakes frozen over?

During the winter of 2013-2014, frigid temperatures covered the Great Lakes and the surrounding states. The persistent cold caused 91 percent of the Great Lakes to be frozen by early March 2014.

How much of Lake Superior is ice covered?

The long-term average annual maximum ice cover on Lake Superior is 61.5%, NOAA says, with ice coverage fluctuating from year to year. But in recent years, ice coverage on Lake Superior has seen extreme highs and lows. Last year, ice coverage on the lake maxed out at 22.6%, while in 2019 it reached 94.9%.

How much ice is on Lake Superior right now?

Currently the ice cover on Lake Superior is at around 12%.

Are the Great Lakes frozen over?

Lakes Superior, Huron and Erie have frozen over in a few harsh winters since 1900, but Michigan and Ontario have never attained complete ice coverage. The long-term annual Great Lakes ice coverage- Erie 68%, Huron 50%, Superior 49%, Michigan 28%, and Ontario 20%.

How much of Great Lakes is frozen?

In fact, the Great Lakes are currently dealing with record low ice. According to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), the Great Lakes total ice coverage right now is sitting at 3.9%.

Did Lake Superior freeze over this winter?

Ok, but does Lake Superior ever completely freeze over? Again, the answer is yes, but rarely. This winter, ice coverage on Lake Superior maxed out at 33% in mid February, right after the stretch of negative degree during the end of the bitter cold stretch of weather when ice covered 33% of Lake Superior.

How much of lake Erie is frozen over?

As of early February 2021, the lake is roughly 15-20% frozen. The islands are mostly frozen over with additional ice build up along the northern Canadian shores and the southern U.S. shores, including Sandusky, Cleveland and Mentor-on-the-Lake.

Does Lake Ontario freeze in the winter?

Lake Ontario is also nearly all ice free, but Ontario never freezes over because of its depth. Erie is much more shallow and can regularly freeze over.

How much of the Great Lakes are covered in ice?

Combined, 34.1 percent of the five Great Lakes are covered in ice as of Jan. 15, 2015, according to data from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. This is up from just 5.65 percent on New Year’s Day.

When is the best time of year to go ice fishing?

Maximum ice cover on the lower lakes (like Lake Erie) normally occurs between mid-February and end of February. Maximum ice cover on the upper lakes (like Lake Superior) normally occurs between end of February and early March.

What is GLERL’s ice forecasting?

GLERL’s short-term ice forecasting is part of the Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System, a model used by the National Ocean Service to predict wind, waves, currents, and more. These ice nowcast and forecast products (concentration, thickness, velocity, and vessel icing) are still experimental but being transitioned to operations.

What is the Great Lakes coastal forecasting system?

The Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System (GLCFS) is a short-term physical modeling framework for predicting waves, currents, water temperature, and ice. GLCFS uses observed and forecasted atmospheric conditions to predict ice concentration (%) up to 3 days in the future.