GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — In early January in West Michigan you would expect to start seeing at least some ice form along the lakeshore and into the rivers and channels. In 2024 however, there is no ice to be found!
So how unusual is this for the Great Lakes, and where do things stand as of early January 2024 compared to normal levels? Here's a look at the numbers!
Compared to record levels, Lake Michigan is just about as ice-free as it could be for January 5th. The current coverage levels have us at about 0.3% ice. That would rank 2nd lowest based on data reviewed from the Great Lakes Environment Research Laboratory.
The lowest record was 0% back in 2007, with third place being 0.4% in 1992. The graph below shows the current ice coverage (in black) on Lake Michigan compared to all historical records (in blue) and the average level (in red).
The trend is much the same over the entire Great Lakes system. The highest concentration on any lake is Lake Superior, with 0.9% coverage, while the entire Great Lakes system only has 0.4%. Typical coverage is 9% and last year was 3.5%.
On the map below ice coverage is represented by the colors green, yellow, orange, and red. Almost no coverage can be seen except in northern Lake Superior and shallow bay regions among the other lakes.
Of course we are still weeks away from peak ice levels on the Great Lakes, but we are going to need some prolonged cold weather to get things moving in the right direction.
See drone video taken over the ice free Lake Michigan in Grand Haven below.
-- Meteorologist Michael Behrens
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