It’s been cold in Minnesota this winter, with below-zero air the norm for many days over the past two months.
Now, the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory is reporting that Lake Superior, for the first time in decades, is essentially frozen over.
It takes a lot of arctic air to freeze the inland sea. But as of February 5, Lake Superior is 92 percent covered with ice. “The ice has increased rapidly in the past week, from 76 percent ice cover on January 30,” the lab reports.
The satellite picture above is from February 3. Temps have been below-zero in the days since, causing ice crystals to continue to rapidly form.
Beyond Superior, the lab reports the Great Lakes system is now covered 77 percent with ice. It’s a polar world up here this year. Be sure to bundle up. —Stephen Regenold
