Great Lakes ice coverage - Winter 2026
- Thread starter Glenn MacGrady
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Satellite photo, February 1, 2026
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Very interesting. I wonder how the ice coverage will affect the Spring thaw.
We’ve been having sunny skies in Cleveland since Lake Erie largely froze and the lake effect stopped.
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Prior to refrigeration, harvesting ice on Erie was a huge business.
Stuck skaters rescued from Lake Champlain
Five skaters who got trapped on Lake Champlain in Charlotte on Tuesday when the ice separated were rescued safely.
www.wcax.com
Seriously? I live in Avon, grew up in Cleve. Hts. and we've had little sun for a while
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That chart Glenn posted is a clear indicator of just how cold it's been here in central NYS this winter. We've had two weeks now of zero or colder temperatures overnight; and even during the day at times. While the cold has been difficult at times, the intensity of the winds has made it all the worse. You can feel your strength being sucked right out of you some days when the wind is really cranking.
That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well (and stay warm!)
snapper
That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well (and stay warm!)
snapper
I skied in sunshine yesterday and ran in sunshine (and 5 degrees) this morning just south of downtown Cleveland!
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In SW MI the effect will be small. Pic shows the St Joseph River a few days ago, just a few miles upstream of Lake Michigan where there's shore ice about 1/2 mile deep so it looks pretty hopeless. But I expect the river to be open in a week or two max....shortly after daytimes temps go above freezing. The shore ice on The Lake is largely unattached and most of it will leave quickly when temps go above freezing and the prevailing winds shift. It doesn't take much melting to push the river level above the ice level and then it opens up pretty quickly. Given that we've had significant snowfall this winter it looks like it may be a normal thaw which means cold water and strong current.
Lake Champlain, sometimes called the Sixth Great Lake, is approaching its first full ice cover since 2019, and perhaps at the earliest date this century.
www.mynbc5.com
Lake Champlain nearing ice closure - what this means
Satellite imagery shows a couple square miles of open water remain near Juniper Island
www.mynbc5.com
In NW Ontario, Lake Nipigon (about 1900 sq miles in size) is referred to as the sixth Great Lake and often freezes over in the winter.
Went to an environmental conference Saturday and one of the sessions was on Great Lakes ice. Clearly the record shows the ice cover is lessening.
Frozen Lake Erie today off sunny Cleveland.
I used to take a ferry across Lake Champlain from Rouses Point in an 18 wheeler, the ferry’s would run all night to keep the path open from what I remember.
