News, Culture and NPR for Central & Northern Michigan
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
91.7FM Alpena and WCML-TV Channel 6 Alpena have been restored. Click here to learn more.

Lake Superior ice coverage could match historic highs

Sharon Mollerus
/
https://flic.kr/p/RcbEck

Ice coverage of Lake Superior could be on track to match historic records.

The most recent year that had comparable ice coverage was 2015 at roughly 80 percent.

Joe Phillips is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. He said the lake currently has 85.3 percent coverage.

“We’re getting up there and we’re getting close to that 90% mark right now.”

Phillips said all-time ice coverage highs were close to one hundred percent, the most recent of which was in 1996. He said it’s possible if the cold temperatures keep up that Lake Superior could see near total coverage this year as well.