February 1979 marks the record for the greatest ice extent for the Great Lakes, having an incredible 94.7% of the lakes’ surface frozen over.
On March 6, satellite images of the Great Lakes captured the second greatest ice extent ever recorded, with 92.2% of the Lakes’ surface turned to ice.
Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie, Ontario, and Michigan typically top out at about 50% ice extent in the middle of winter so the recent findings are a testament to just how cold it has been in the Midwest this year.
To put the percentage of ice in context, only five times in the past four decades has there been greater than 80% ice coverage so 92.2% in 2014 is remarkable.
