Great Lakes ice coverage is paltry but still expected to get above average

(FOX 2) - Great Lakes ice coverage is well below the norm for mid-January, but researchers still anticipate the lakes' surface to freeze over before the winter ends.

As of Jan. 12, just 3.1% of the Great Lakes were covered by ice.

The reason for the below average ice cover is due to the warm temperatures that have continued moving over the Great Lakes this winter, Dr. Jia Wang. "So far this year's ice cover is lower than the average, mainly due to the strong negative (warming) Pacific Decadal Oscillation," Wang wrote in an email. 

Despite researchers forecasting a La Niña event this year, the weather phenomenon wasn't expected to be very strong. That, combined with the warmer air being brought in over the Pacific Ocean, is keeping ice from freezing on the Great Lakes.

MORE: Huron-Clinton Metroparks announces first physical location in Detroit

Currently, Lake Huron has the most ice coverage at 4.4% with the bulk of that accumulating in Saginaw Bay. Lake Ontario has the least ice coverage at less than a percent.

Despite the unseasonably warm weeks - and more warm temperatures expected in mid-January - Wang is pointing toward projections that about 68% of the lakes will be covered before the end of the winter.

Ice coverage in the Great Lakes, according to NOAA.

Part of the reason is the warm air being pushed in from Alaska isn't expected to last, while the La Niña event could send temperatures tumbling. It likely won't reach its peak until February and won't begin receding until March. 

Historically, Great Lakes ice coverage used to hit its peak in late January, Wang said. But the window for ice coverage has shifted to later in the year due to warmer surface temperatures sticking around longer.