Ice cover on the Great Lakes is at a 50-year low for this time of year, according to federal data.
Right now, roughly 7% of the great lakes are covered in ice. Mark Gill with the US Coast Guard said normal ice coverage during this time of the year is between 30-40%.
Gill said low ice cover now may lead to lower water levels later this year, as ice coverage typically blocks evaporation and protects the water.
“Over the last five, seven years, we've been blessed with a greater amount of water on the Great Lakes, specifically in Lake Superior and the upper lakes,” Gill said. “So we'll probably see a little bit more evaporation and those water levels will come down a little bit.”
Gill says water levels will likely decrease in the Southern half of Lake Huron, the Detroit River and Lake Erie, due to the low ice.
Jeff Lutz with the National Weather Service office in Gaylord said ice production peaked at the beginning of February, with just over 20% coverage.
He said it’s unlikely we will get more ice, as this weekend will bring temperatures in the 30s and 40s. Lutz said higher temperatures and low ice cover also decreases the potential for lake effect snow.
“We just haven't had a lot of really cold days, and a good string of them, to really ice up everything,” Lutz said.
