"Ice cover on the Great Lakes reached a record low on New Year's Day, and open water made smooth sailing for the latest departure of an oceangoing vessel ever recorded in the Port of Duluth-Superior.
On New Year’s Day, ice cover across the Great Lakes was next to nothing, averaging less than .4 percent. That’s the lowest on record for the day spanning 50 years of data, according to James Kessler, physical scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab. Kessler said around 9 percent of the lakes are typically frozen by Jan. 1.
"We've just had a lack of consistent cold weather," Kessler said. "If you don't get consistent, cold air, you're not going to get ice formation.""
Danielle Kaeding reports for Wisconsin Public Radio January 3, 2024.
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