Great Lakes Reaches Maximum Ice Coverage

LT Jacquelyn Putnam, NOAA
NIC.PAO@noaa.gov
U.S. National Ice Center
February 02, 2024

Suitland, MD — The U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC) has determined the Great Lakes experienced its annual maximum ice coverage for the 2023-2024 ice season on January 22, 2024. This annual maximum was estimated at 17.68% coverage, which is significantly lower than the average annual maximum of 53%¹ coverage; the 2023-2024 maximum was also observed to occur approximately one month earlier than the annual norm2. Figure 1 (below) shows the USNIC daily ice analysis for January 22, 2024.

This winter season was characterized by warmer-than-average temperatures, with a cold air outbreak in mid-January corresponding to the maximum ice coverage. Since this statistic was first tracked in 19732, the annual ice coverage maximum has occurred in January on only two other occasions–January 22, 2012 and January 15, 1999.

¹https://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/ice/glicd/AMIC/Great_Lakes.png
2https://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/ice/glicd/dates_AMIC.txt

USNIC daily analysis of ice coverage on the Great Lakes is completed in coordination with the Canadian Ice Service as part of the North American Ice Service. To access USNIC Great Lakes products, visit http://usicecenter.gov/Products/GreatLakesHome.

USNIC is a multi-agency center—subordinate to Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command—operated by the Navy, NOAA, and Coast Guard and provides global to tactical scale ice and snow products, ice forecasting, and related environmental intelligence services for the United States government.

Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command directs and oversees more than 2,500 globally-distributed military and civilian personnel who collect, process and exploit environmental information to assist Fleet and Joint Commanders in all warfare areas to make better decisions faster than the adversary.

For more information, please contact:
National Ice Center
Command Duty Officer
Voice: (301) 943-6977
E-mail: nic.cdo@noaa.gov
Twitter: @usnatice
Facebook: @usnatice

The U.S. National Ice Center is a tri-agency center operated by the Navy, NOAA, and Coast Guard and provides global to tactical scale ice and snow products, ice forecasting, and related environmental intelligence services for the United States government.