Does Lake Michigan freeze in Chicago?

In records dating from the middle 1800s, even in the coldest winters, Lake Michigan has never completely frozen over. It has been as much as 90 percent or more ice-covered in 1903-04, 1976-77, 1978-79, 1998-99 and 2013-14, but the lake is a massive reservoir of heat that is released only slowly into the air.



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Once Lake Michigan reaches below zero temperatures, it freezes over, and through enough wave action, a solid sheet of ice is prevented from forming. Instead, waves cause the ice sheet to break up into smaller pieces, and as they move around, they become rounder in shape and transition into a pancake-like form.

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'Pancake ice' forms on Lake Michigan in below-freezing temperatures. Pancake ice formations occur when ice sheets are broken into pieces by the wind and waves.

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The long-term average annual maximum ice cover is about 54%. Lake Michigan, which generally doesn't see peak coverage until at least mid-February, could see nearly 38% surface coverage this season, just below its long-term average of about 41%.

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So yeah, even if Lake Michigan ever kinda-sorta freezes over, don't try crossing it by foot or vehicle. Leave that kind of dangerous travel to the ice balls.

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In records dating from the middle 1800s, even in the coldest winters, Lake Michigan has never completely frozen over. It has been as much as 90 percent or more ice-covered in 1903-04, 1976-77, 1978-79, 1998-99 and 2013-14, but the lake is a massive reservoir of heat that is released only slowly into the air.

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Those who brave the frigid feat and swim in the winter are nicknamed “ice monsters.” Lake Michigan continuously cools throughout winter, and with March averaging an annual low of 32.9 degrees, it's the chilliest month for open-water swimming.

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Lake Surface Temperature Surface temperatures of Lake Michigan follow a monthly pattern with the warmest temperatures occurring in late summer and early fall and the coolest temperatures occurring in late winter and early spring (Figure 17).

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Every fall, the lake experiences a 'turnover' — a mixing of the layers that results in similar temperatures throughout.

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Lake Erie is the shallowest, warmest, and most productive of the Great Lakes. Three distinct basins provide a variety of offshore habitats. The Detroit River, Maumee River, and smaller tributaries drain into the western basin, which averages 24 feet deep and contains extremely nutrient-rich water.

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