Ice on the Great Lakes

I was watching the football games yesterday and switching channels during the commercials. I happened to land on the Weather Channel (or maybe it was the local news) between games and heard someone say that Lake Erie was essentially frozen over.

Well, I wanted to see what they meant by essentially frozen over so I did a quick Google search of ”Great Lakes ice cover” and found this NOAA site.

By clicking on either Lakes Erie, Ontario or Huron you get access to recent maps of the eastern Great Lakes. Lakes Superior or Michigan will get you to the western Lakes. There are even maps of Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. (Although the Bays haven’t much ice and Delaware hasn’t had any, apparently, since February of 2007.)

The maps are huge in size but load quickly. You’ll have to scroll around to see the different parts of the lakes.

Lake Erie on January 16, 2009:

The red areas are 9/10 ice. Blue areas are 1/10 ice.

Grey areas are fast ice (100% rock hard).

Lake Ontario on January 16, 2009:

Blue is only 1/10 ice. White is open water.

A couple of thoughts come to mind after looking at the ice coverage on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario:

1- Folks on the shores of Lake Erie are undoubtedly hoping the ice remains in place so as to stop the lake effect snows that have plagued them in the recent past.

2- Folks living on the eastern end of Lake Ontario (Helloooo, Watertown, Mannsville, Polaski, Oswego, etc.) are probably praying that the damn lake will freeze! Steady winds out of the west will be settling in for this week and that means snow, snow, snow!


One more item...

Does anyone else find it ironic that, up on the northern edge of Lake Huron, this place is frozen solid?

Gore Bay is "fast ice" = 100% solid.