Lake Superior is still over 60 percent covered in ice as of
yesterday Saturday April 26, 2014. The satellite pictures shown above were the
latest I could find that had clear skies and good vision of the ice. These high
resolution satellite images come from April 23 and April 24, 2014.
On Wednesday April 23, 2014 Lake Superior had 68 percent ice
cover. According to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, the
previous highest amount of ice on that date was in 1979 when there was 38
percent ice cover.
So the ice on Lake Superior is currently almost twice as
much as recorded for this late date in the ice season. The records go back to
1973.
On Wednesday, Lake Michigan still had 15 percent ice cover.
The highest amount in the records on that date was five percent in 1979. This
means Lake Michigan has three times the previous highest ice amount on April
23.
Lake Huron was still reporting 25 percent ice, with the
previous late season high at 11 percent in 1996.
Lake Erie melts quicker due to the shallow nature, but still
had 7.6 percent ice on April 23, 2014. Previously on that date the highest
amount of ice was three percent in 1978.
Lake Ontario still has eight-tenths of one percent ice
cover. That's not much, but it is still more than the six-tenths it had in
1977.
The entire Great Lakes system still reported 35 percent ice
cover this past Wednesday. The closest amount of ice at this late date was 16
percent in 1979.
Lake Superior could have ice in June
Even in high ice years of 1977, 1978, 1979, 1994, and 1996,
a few of those years Lake Superior still had one-tenth of one percent ice
covered on May 31. With that given Lake Superior has nearly double its late
season ice amount, ice could still be on Lake Superior in June this year.
 |
| Lake Ontario |
 |
| Lake Huron |
 |
| Lake Michigan |
 |
| Lake Superior |
 |
| Lake Erie |
