Great Lakes ice cover comes close to record

Great Lakes ice cover on Feb. 16 (Credit: NOAA Great Lakes CoastWatch)

The Great Lakes came close, but didn’t quite make it to a new ice cover record, according to National Public Radio. Data from the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory show that the five lakes reached a max near 92 percent cover overall.

That’s a few points off from the highest levels ever seen, when the Great Lakes hit 95 percent ice cover in 1979. After the 2014 peak, scientists at the NOAA lab say satellite imagery show the ice is beginning to break up.

Lake Michigan, by itself, can claim a new ice cover record. Its previous peak was 93.1 percent, set in 1977. Its new 2014 record is 93.3 percent.

Image: Great Lakes ice cover on Feb. 16 (Credit: NOAA Great Lakes CoastWatch)