Lake Michigan Ice Breaks Record; Great Lakes Hit 2nd Highest Level

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Lake Michigan set a new record for ice coverage over the weekend.

The National Weather Service said the cold start to March caused ice levels on the lake to increase quickly, pushing ice coverage to 93.29 percent on Saturday. That broke the record of 93.1 percent set in 1977.

Satellite image of Lake Michigan on March 8, 2014, when ice coverage was 93.29 percent. (Credit: NOAA)

By Monday, significantly warmer weather had reduced ice levels on Lake Michigan to 77 percent.

Overall, the Great Lakes were just shy of setting a record in recent days. On Thursday, ice coverage for all five lakes combined was at 92.19 percent, good for second all-time. The record was set in 1979, when ice coverage for the entire Great Lakes reached 94.7 percent.

By Monday, those levels had dropped to 83.94 percent.

Satellite image of ice coverage on the Great Lakes on March 6, 2014, when surface ice levels were at 92.19 percent. (Credit: NOAA)

National Weather Service
Great Lakes
Lake Michigan