Lake Erie Ice Covered

As of yesterday, Lake Erie is virtually 100 percent ice covered, according to satellite imagery developed by the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL).

GLERL January 19 image of Lake Erie. Blue is open water.

Being covered with ice is different form being frozen over because the ice is of varying concentrations. Most of Lake Erie's ice cover is in the 90 to 99 percent range with small portions considered 99 to 100 percent or 70 to 90 percent covered.  But the partial freeze will not last long.

On the southern shore of Lake Erie, where the temperatures normally are warmest, the forecast is frigid.  In Cleveland the outlook is for highs in the teens and lows in the single digits. 

Cleveland 5-day forecast screenshot courtesy Accuweather.

Odds are strongly in favor that by the end of the week, Lake Erie will be completely frozen over.

Lake Erie last froze over in 2010 much later in the season (February 13).  And prior to 2010 the last time Erie froze was the 1995-96 winter season.  

We will continue to watch the epic freeze as the winter marches on.