CHICAGO — Ice coverage may be nearing its peak throughout the Great Lakes in a season that has trended closer to average than originally forecast, as Lake Michigan’s water levels are expected to continue their decline well below the string of monthly record highs reached a few years ago.
Lake Michigan’s ice cover hit 37% last week, the most yet in the season, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, which records and models ice coverage.
Ice cover increased in the new year as chilly temperatures froze the Great Lakes region. In recent days, the lakes have been about a quarter to more than 40% covered, sticking close to the long-term average for early February, according to data going back to 1973.
