The latest projections from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab show overall coverage peaking close to 49% across the Great Lakes. The long-term average annual maximum ice cover is about 54%. Ice sits on Lake Michigan near Milton Lee Olive Park on Jan. 20, 2022, in Chicago.

Lake Michigan covers over 22,000 square miles and is over 300 miles long from north to south. In the winter, ice piles up along the shoreline making for unique formations and dangerous conditions. Water temperatures can fluctuate quickly as waves and wind can change water patterns on the lake. But when the cold of winter arrives, ice forms.

“Blue Ice” is the name given to the towering ice chunks that pile up along the Great Lakes shoreline in striking blue hues. We can thank air bubbles and and ice crystals for giving us this bit of winter magic that captures our attention when it appears on our Michigan shores during the late winter months. How Does Blue Ice Form?

Ice balls of various sizes were spotted Sunday on Lake Michigan in Benzie County, just south of the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and an Honor resident managed to take some photos and a video of them. The balls are a somewhat rare phenomenon.

Incredible footage shows icy weather phenomena on Lake Michigan A blast of cold temperatures sweeping the US brought striking ice formations and clouds to Lake Michigan. The extreme low temperatures have forced some schools to close, warming centres to open and have cancelled some flights.