Great Lakes Ice Coverage As Seen From Space; Lake Michigan Meltdown
By John Dodge
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Last week's brief thaw melted much of the ice covering Lake Michigan, but three of the Great Lakes still remain nearly entirely on ice.
The latest images from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite, show that much of Lake Michigan thawed over the past week.
In mid-February, about 80 percent of the lake was iced.
Currently, it's down to around 40 percent.
This week's cold weather will likely increase the Lake Michigan ice by 10-15 percent, government forecasters say.
Lakes Superior, Huron and Erie are 80 to 90 percent covered.
Ontario has by far the least ice coverage at just over 10 percent--down from a high of about 40-50 percent 10 days ago.
The record ice coverage for all five lakes was set in 1979 at nearly 95 percent.
In mid-February, the Great Lakes were nearly 90 percent covered in ice.