Right now, the Great Lakes have some of the lowest levels of ice in the last 50 years, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The Great Lakes are welcoming the new year with less than one percent of ice coverage. This ice cover is far lower than the historical average, which is typically 10% this time of year.
Dan Cornish is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord. He said for many places across Northern Michigan, it was the second warmest December on record, which results in an extra delay to ice formation.
"[There's already] a delayed effect or lag time. You can kind of think of it like a pot of water," Cornish said. "So when you turn the heat on, the pot heats up really quick, but it takes a little bit of time for the water to heat up and boil. We actually see that same effect, just kind of opposite with ice coverage."
Ice cover typically picks up in January and peaks around mid-February and early March.
As temperatures are projected to drop, Cornish said we can expect to see more ice on the Great Lakes and inland lakes.
"It really all depends on if and when we get our prolonged stretches of cold weather," Cornish said. "So, if we get cold air outbreaks in the beginning or mid-February, that'll lead to a fairly rapid expansion in ice coverage."
For more daily data on ice coverage across all the Great Lakes, visit the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory website.
