Lake Erie Nears First Complete Freeze-Over Since 1996

Lake Erie has most ice coverage to start February in 23 years

Ice-covered lakes have benefits— less shoreline erosion, less lake-effect snow — and even provide a winter food for fish.

Lake Erie is nearly frozen over: Could it hit a rare full freeze?

Clear skies allowed satellites to reveal Lake Erie’s ice coverage nearing 95%, putting the lake within striking distance of a rare complete freeze.

A frozen Lake Erie means no food for many

With nearly 95% ice coverage across Lake Erie, the food source destination for many animals is now inaccessible. The water is locked away from animals, including endangered species like the Little Gull.There are only an estimated 800 Little Gulls left across North America, and they are the smallest species of gull in the world, according to the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center. One of these rare gulls was brought in to the Center's caretakers e…

Lake Michigan ice cover above average, but no where near historical maximum

Ice on the Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes as a whole has surged since mid-January, when the below average temperature pattern first began to settle in.

Satellite images show Great Lakes ice up amid "bitter cold"

"More than 50 percent of the Great Lakes were covered in ice as of Sunday," NOAA reported.

New ice cover data offers insight into whitefish declines, climate change

A satellite view of the Great Lakes on Feb. 1, 2026. (Photo courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency)This coverage is made possible through a partnership between IPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. Michigan researchers have gone back in time to get a picture of ice cover on the Great Lakes since the late 19th century. Using historical temperature records from weather stations around the region, researchers…