Great Lakes Rapidly Lose Their Ice To Melting Spring Temps

MADISON, Wis. (CIVIC MEDIA) – Strong winds will bring big waves in open waters, threatening ice shoves, moving sheets and more on the big ponds.

The Great Lakes ice hit it’s highest coverage on February 21st, right before the warm up took over the region. We went through 6 days of an arctic cold snap. Leaving 53% of the Great Lakes system frozen, most of it on Eerie. That was the only lake this winter to climb above the average ice concentration. It beat the normal by 20% and was 81% covered. It is also the most shallow of the Great Lakes and usually the first to freeze.

Now all of the lakes have gone from their highest winter coverage to a massive melt. Overall, they’ve lost a good 15% of ice, in just 5 days.

Lake Michigan fell from 34% to just 16% today. The warm up melted 20% of the ice in less than a week.

Lake Superior out did that, dropping from 47% to just 20%. Meaning nearly 30% turned back to water there.

The concern, the windy conditions ahead. They will be vicious at times, especially across the open waters. Whipping up to 60 mph. On land we’ll be smacked with gusts up to 40-50 mph through the end of the week. This will create large waves up to 10 feet high and may push ice chunks on shore.

Wind direction matters. Early Friday morning it’ll be a southwest wind, shoving a risk towards Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan shores. By late morning the winds shift to out of the northwest, swinging the waves at Lake Superior’s south shores.

Properties nearby need to take precautions. As do people living on bigger inland lakes as well. Ice may move on shore, as sheets shift and blow in.

Winds ease this weekend with a brief cool down taking control. But it won’t be for long enough to build back any ice. Full forecast details below.