After reaching a peak of more than 50% coverage in February, Great Lakes ice held on into May this year. Here's where.

All in all, ice coverage on the Great Lakes—that is, the portion of the lakes’ surface that freezes annually—has fallen by a whopping 71 percent since 1974.

Great Lakes ice season getting shorter. ... But ice fishing tourism is important to the region, he said, and businesses feel the effects when it's unsafe for fishers to get on the ice.

As of February 14th, 2023, Ice coverage is 6.6% across the Great Lakes, which is well below the normal of near 40% for mid-February. Because of this, ice fishing shanties have had to be removed ...

The Great Lakes were only 9.6 percent ice covered on this February day, compared with nearly 50 percent on the same date the year before. MARCH 1, 2020. LAKE MICHIGAN.

The Great Lakes, along with thousands of smaller, inland lakes, are wintertime havens for outdoor recreation. Ice fishing, hockey, snowmobiling and hiking are great ways to enjoy the winter, but ...

Karyn Sprow, co-owner of Zuboks Bait Tackle Marine in Taylor, said she and her husband have experienced less ice-covered winters since 2014, when the Great Lakes had a near-record 92.5% of the ...

Great Lakes ice cover is off to a slow start in 2024. ... “I wish I was Jesus. I would just walk right out there,” joked Tony Cass, of Mequon who books ice fishing trips on Lake Michigan, ...

The Great Lakes reached their highest ice coverage (52.23%) since February 2022. Lake Superior was the last of the Great Lakes to become ice-free on May 11, 2025.

Great Lakes ice coverage varies greatly from year to year, but trends show it declining since record-keeping started in the early 1970s. And a warming climate lends additional urgency to such efforts.

A warm start to the winter season has left the Great Lakes virtually ice-free and with their lowest ice cover to kick off a new year in at least 50 years. On New Year’s Day, only 0.35% of the ...

As of Sunday, just 2.7% of the Great Lakes was covered in ice, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory announced on Tuesday.