The annual maximum ice cover on the lakes is declining 5% per decade.
Written By:
Danielle Kaeding / Wisconsin Public Radio |
9:00 am, Feb. 2, 2021
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Ice covers rocks in Lake Superior just off of Wisconsin Point recently. The big lake is 8 inches lower than it was one year ago. (Jed Carlson / 2020 file / Superior Telegram)
Fans of ice fishing on the Great Lakes may be in for a disappointment this winter as ice cover reached near-record lows in January. Average ice cover on the Great Lakes reached its second-lowest level for the month since record-keeping began nearly 50 years ago.
The average ice cover for the Great Lakes in January was 4.4%, which is just behind the record monthly low of 4.08% set back in January 2002. Ice cover on Lake Superior and Lake Michigan were also near-record low ice cover for the month.