2015 Great Lakes Ice Updates

[KC_Sundancer]

Lake Effect has stopped for us up here. Cut through 3 1/2 feet of ice out our West Channel while fishing yesterday.
Lots of ice is good, I just hope it does not hang around until June like last year. :smt101

 

[DaFish]

Or create the fog banks like last year because of the very cold water!

 

[KC_Sundancer]

Or create the fog banks like last year because of the very cold water!

Yes, that too!

 

[MonacoMike]

Lots of ice is good, I just hope it does not hang around until June like last year. :smt101

Be a very hot spring for it not to "hang around"

MM

 

[KC_Sundancer]

Still locked in good around Grand Island and Munising Bay but the ice is moving out quickly up here.
The boat is locked in on the trailer with 5 feet of hard packed snow though. :smt089

 

[Woody]

Still locked in good around Grand Island and Munising Bay but the ice is moving out quickly up here.
The boat is locked in on the trailer with 5 feet of hard packed snow though. :smt089

If everything goes right I hope to be bringing a boat up from Lake MI the end of next month....I have my doubts. Some marinas will still be closed, Marquette didn't open last year till early June. I think I'm going to be dodging ice bergs.

 

[HUMPH]

I'll send you the weather if you send me all of the ice! Big time drought out here but plenty of warm weather.

 

[MonacoMike]

So with that said; any predictions on whether this season will freeze more of the lake than last years 92.2%?

My prediction is it will not beat last year.

MM

And that was a correct prediction.

"The entire Great Lakes system has seen ice cover decrease in the last eight days from peak ice at 88.8 percent to currently 78.5 percent. Since the peak has probably been reached, Great Lakes ice fell short of last year's peak ice cover of 92 percent."

http://www.mlive.com/weather/index.ssf/2015/03/great_lakes_ice_disappearing_r.html

MM

 

[MonacoMike]

If everything goes right I hope to be bringing a boat up from Lake MI the end of next month....I have my doubts. Some marinas will still be closed, Marquette didn't open last year till early June. I think I'm going to be dodging ice bergs.

Maybe it will melt off faster this year.

"Spring time temperatures are hard at work melting ice on the Great Lakes. The total ice cover on the lakes is down to 53%. With forecast highs in the 40’s and 50’s for the last week of March the lakes will continue to warm and melt the ice."

http://fox17online.com/2015/03/21/ice-melting-on-the-great-lakes/

"Last year it was not until June that the Great Lakes were completely free of ice.

But veteran ice-observer George Leshkevich, a research scientist at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, predicts an earlier date for ice-free waters."

http://greatlakesecho.org/2015/03/20/great-lakes-ice-in-retreat/

MM

 

[KC_Sundancer]

If everything goes right I hope to be bringing a boat up from Lake MI the end of next month....I have my doubts. Some marinas will still be closed, Marquette didn't open last year till early June. I think I'm going to be dodging ice bergs.

I just came back from Marquette - more dark blue water visible from three days ago. Winds are breaking it up fast.
A few ice fishermen have gone through fishing in the lower harbor there last week so we may be lucky with a May 1 (or sooner) splash. :huh:
Here's hoping for it anyway. :grin:

 

[Woody]

I've got to stay optimistic, the boat will be in the water sooner or later and I'll be cruising it around loaded with Bow Bling again:lol:

 

[my3sons]

Well, I drove within view of the lake this morning and except for a few "bergs" nothing but water.
I checked the link and sure enough, 33 degrees. much ahead of last year. Time to start working on the boat.

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/buf/laketemps/LakeTempsApr.php

 

[MonacoMike]

If everything goes right I hope to be bringing a boat up from Lake MI the end of next month....I have my doubts. Some marinas will still be closed, Marquette didn't open last year till early June. I think I'm going to be dodging ice bergs.

How is it looking?

MM

 

[Woody]

How is it looking?

MM

There's still icebreakers busting up the pack ice in east end of Superior and keeping St Mary's River open but we got some sunshine coming and the next two weeks ought to do in most the ice. My sea trial is scheduled for the 29th, if everything goes OK I expect to leave for home by 5/15 at latest. Looks like things will be fine but I bet I can still get pics of ice.

 

[Molson]

Ice is looking pretty black in southern Georgian Bay. I think it'll be broken up by the end of the week.

 

[Timeflys]

Ice mostly gone from the 1000 Islands...just a bit of grey slushy ice in some bays which will be gone in a day or two..Village Quay even launched a couple of boats today and the other marinas are starting to peel off the shrink wrap. :smt038

 

[MonacoMike]

I took the whaler out on Saturday in Michigan City, the water temperature at the surface was 49 degrees, and nary ice to be found.

That's getting close to swimming temp!!! NOT!!!

MM

 

[HUMPH]

I hope the water and weather improves quickly for you guys! We have the weather but are in trouble with our water. This drought really sucks. Lake boaters out here are screwed this year!

 

[J.Wilt]

Coast Gaurd had to help two fishermen who got stuck in ice on Saturday on Lake Michigan near Holand, MI.
Currents were taking them out when they called 911 the Coast Gaurd dispatched the helicopter and it hovered over the lake and the force broke up a path for the fishermen to get out of the ice flow.

 

[1956olds]

I cannot beleive it was snowing here today.It better be nice saturday,at least around 3;30 pm for launch and a run up the river to the marina,if my dock is ready or i can stay at the storage facility docks for a week.