How deep does ice get on Lake Michigan?

According to the U.S. National Ice Center at NOAA, ice thickness ranges from two to six inches in most places. Thicker ice, of a foot or more, is forming in Little and Big Bays De Noc in Lake Michigan; Black and Nipigon Bays in Ontario, and Wisconsin's Chequamegon Bay in Lake Superior.



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Lake Vida is one of the largest lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valley region and is a closed-basin endorheic lake. The permanent surface ice on the lake is the thickest non-glacial ice on earth, reaching a depth of at least 21 metres (69 ft).

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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 deepest part of Lake Michigan is over 990 feet. The water at the bottom of that deep pocket is still 39 degrees to 40 degrees.

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Most lakes and ponds don't completely freeze because the ice (and eventually snow) on the surface acts to insulate the water below. Our winters aren't long or cold enough to completely freeze most local water bodies. This process of lakes turning over is crtically important to the life in the lake.

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Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake to have never frozen entirely.

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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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