Watch CBS News

Lake Michigan Ice Cover Breaks 37-Year-Old Record

ANN ARBOR (AP) - Lake Michigan's ice cover has set a record.

The federal government's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor reports that ice spread across 93.29 percent of the lake's surface area on Saturday. That eclipsed the previous high of 93.1 percent in 1977.

The 37-year-old record was broken just before moderating temperatures began shrinking Great Lakes ice. At one point last week, the ice cover reached 92.2 percent for the entire five-lake system, second only to the 94.7 percent high reached in February 1979. On Monday night, it had dropped to 83.9 percent.

Lake Michigan fell to 77.1 percent Monday.

[Winter Storm Watch: 4 To 8 Inches Of Snow Coming To Metro Detroit]

© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.