As below-freezing temperatures continue across Michigan, Lake Superior now has its highest ice concentration this season.
Lake Superior’s surface was 50% frozen over as of Feb. 9, about a 10 percentage point increase from Sunday, Feb. 8, and the highest percentage of ice cover for the season. The shoreline from Sault Ste Marie to Duluth, Minnesota, and north to Thunder Bay is covered in ice.
On Sunday, Feb. 8, ice on the Great Lakes totaled 54.29%, according to the latest charts by the U.S. National Ice Center. Ice cover dipped slightly to 53.01% coverage on Monday, Feb. 9.
Lake Erie remains nearly completely frozen over — about 95% coverage. Lake St. Clair Lake, which is included in the Great Lakes ice data, located between the St. Clair River and the Detroit River systems, is completely frozen over, according to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, a National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration program.
Lake Huron is nearly three-quarters half iced over at 66.64%, down from last week when the total was 77.49%.
Ice is more than 2 feet thick in many places, including along Lake Superior shorelines, Lake Huron’s northern shores, the inner Saginaw Bay, parts of northern Lake Michigan, nearly all of Lake Ontario, and the western portion of Lake Erie, according to U.S. National Ice Center’s thickness map.
Last season, the Great Lakes experienced ice levels that were near normal, rebounding after the historic winter low in 2023-24. Lake Erie recorded the highest amount of coverage in 2024-25, reaching 95.8% (which is typical as it is the shallowest of the Great Lakes) and Lake Superior had the second-most coverage at its peak, 71.1%.
Ice coverage for the 2025-26 season is above the long-term average for this point of the season, according to NOAA.
As the 2025-26 ice season continues, researchers will track ice percentages daily. To track the progression, the U.S. National Ice Center posts ice charts every Tuesday and Wednesday.
Here’s an update on ice growing on Michigan’s Great Lakes:
How much ice is on Michigan’s Great Lakes?
According to Feb. 8-9 reports, the Great Lakes are 53.01% to 54.29% frozen over, the U.S. National Ice Center’s twice-weekly update said.
Thick ice has expanded in the Straits of Mackinac where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet; Lake Huron’s Ontario, Canada, bays; the inner Saginaw Bay area from Bay City to Port Austin; Lake St. Clair; Lake Erie’s eastern half; and Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shores from Green Bay to Escanaba in the Upper Peninsula.
Is Lake Superior frozen over?
No. As of Feb. 9, 50% of Lake Superior is frozen over.
Is Lake St. Clair frozen over?
As of Feb. 9, Lake St. Clair was nearly frozen over at 99.63%.
How much is Lake Erie frozen over?
As of Feb. 9, Lake Erie’s ice coverage was 95.41%.
Is Lake Huron frozen over?
No. As of Feb. 9, 66.64% of Lake Huron was covered in ice.
Is Lake Michigan frozen?
No. As of Feb. 9, only 33.33% of Lake Michigan was frozen over.
Is Lake Ontario frozen over?
No. As of Feb. 9, only 33.77 of Lake Ontario is covered in ice.
Is it rare for the Great Lakes to freeze over completely?
Yes, it is rare for the entire lake system to freeze over, though ice coverage can still reach 90% or more.
According to GLERL’s records, two lakes have frozen over completely: Lake Superior in 1973 and 1996; and Lake Erie in 1978, 1979 and 1996.
Lake Superior almost froze over — at 92-96% ice coverage — during the 2013-14 ice season, according to Northern Michigan History.
When do the Great Lakes have the most ice?
Maximum ice coverage takes place later in the winter season. In the lower lakes, peak ice is seen from from mid-February to the end of February; and for the upper lakes it is from the end of February to early March, according to the GLERL.
The overall highest percentage of ice coverage for all the Great Lakes took place in 1979, when they were 94.7% covered, NOAA said.
When does ice develop on average on Michigan’s Great Lakes?
According to the NOAA’s GLERL, here is 2025 data:
Lake Michigan
Lake Huron
Lake Superior
Lake Erie
Lake Ontario
Which Great Lake gets the most ice during winter?
Historically, Lake Erie freezes and thaws the quickest due to its shallow depth, the shallowest among the Great Lakes.
The average depth of Lake Erie is about 62 feet, 210 feet, maximum — with 871 miles of shoreline, the Great Lakes Commission said.
How deep are the Great Lakes?
Here are the other average depths for the Great Lakes, from deepest to shallowest from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:
Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@lsj.com
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lake Superior more than half frozen. How much ice is on Great Lakes
Reporting by Sarah Moore, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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