Great Lakes ice coverage lagging behind previous years as first signs of formation appear
(FOX 2) - Another sign of winter's icy grip coming to Michigan has surfaced, this time in the form of the first sightings of ice cover on the Great Lakes.
According to an ice tracker that pulls data from NOAA, 1% of Lake Superior has ice cover. Lake Michigan also has some ice coverage in Wisconsin's Green Bay, as well as Big Bay De Noc and Little Bay de Noc, which is attached to the southern shore of the Upper Peninsula.
Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario haven't reported any ice cover as of Dec. 19.
Ice cover has increasingly become an illusive feature of the Great Lakes as warming winters disrupt normal processes of the lakes freezing over. Tracking ice coverage for the 2023-2024 winter is still on the early side, but there are early signs this year will be below the average.
Over the past 50 years, the average ice coverage over all the Great Lakes by Dec. 19 is about 5%.
Ice coverage averages are down in all the Great Lakes with Lake Huron coming in the furthest from the norm. Typically, 7% of the lake has ice on it. But this season, there is virtually no ice.
Other signs of a warm winter this season is a forecast from FOX Weather that finds most in the U.S. will not experience a snowy Christmas. Models show no major snowstorms in the final days before Dec. 25.
Most in US will experience Christmas without snow this year
The FOX Forecast Center said computer forecast models show no major snowstorms in the final days before Christmas.
As of Dec. 20, only 16.9% of the U.S. is covered in snow.
The Midwest will certainly see some precipitation around then, but in the form of rain. Temperatures in Chicago will be in the 50s.
According to the National Weather Service, Detroit will see a chance of showers on Christmas. Eve and Christmas Day. For the 25th, expect a high near 52 degrees.