The Great Lakes Are Nearly Completely Covered In Ice

By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 5, 2014 5:25PM

Here's another sign spring can't reach Chicago fast enough. This satellite view of Lake Michigan from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration shows the lake is 90 percent covered in ice and the persistent cold weather has seen that ice expanding the past several days.

Lake Michigan had previously reached this ice level in 1976, 1979 (when it reached 95 percent) and 1994. As recently as Feb. 26, however, a spell of warm weather had the lake at 40 percent before expanding once again.

The average ice cover for Lake Michigan is around 40 percent but it isn't the only lake to feel the chill. As of Feb. 13 more than 88 percent of the entire Great Lakes were covered in ice. Lake Superior reached 95 percent ice cover last month.

NASA/MODIS