Overview
- NOAA data reported by CBS shows system-wide ice at 48.42% as of Tuesday, with Lake Erie at 95.33%, Huron 77.49%, Ontario 37.23%, Superior 34.31% and Michigan 33.33%.
- Satellite time-lapse imagery from CIRA and NOAA captured rapid expansion driven by a bitter late-January Arctic outbreak.
- The National Weather Service expects another burst of Arctic air late this week followed by milder temperatures next week that could thin or break up weaker ice and trigger snowmelt, localized flooding and river ice jams.
- Extensive cover on Lake Erie is acting like a lid that is likely to shut down the heavy lake-effect snow bands over parts of western New York and Pennsylvania.
- A new 120-year Great Lakes ice dataset published in Scientific Data provides context for the recent surge, supporting research into climate-driven variability and whitefish declines.