Lake Erie is closing in on a rare winter milestone as ice cover climbed to about 95% by early February, far ahead of the long‑term seasonal average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. The rapid freeze appears clearly in NOAA’s historical dataset, where this year’s line rises sharply in January instead of the typical gradual increase toward a March peak.
The lake has not frozen completely since 2014, and it has only reached full ice coverage three times since record keeping began in 1973, which makes this winter’s surge especially notable.
The deep freeze set the stage for a dramatic event over the weekend. An 80‑mile crack split across the lake’s frozen surface from near the Canadian shoreline toward the Cleveland area after strong winds swept across the Great Lakes, according to AccuWeather. The shifting winds pushed and twisted the ice until it fractured, creating a jagged opening that stretched nearly the entire width of the lake. Ice also piled into ridges along parts of the shoreline, creating hazards for nearby communities and raising concerns about property damage in vulnerable coastal areas…