Many news outlets reported over the weekend and through the day Monday about how Lake Superior was approaching almost full ice coverage for a second year in a row. Things certainly have changed a lot in a day.

Not since the 1970s has Lake Superior seen 80%+ ice coverage two years in a row. Windy conditions with gusts exceeding 40 mph have torn open giant swaths of ice along the Lake Superior North Shore, and have also put in jeopardy the plans of some Lake Superior ice fishermen and also plans to open the Apostle Islands Ice Caves this coming weekend.

Authorities at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore commented on Monday that if cold temperatures remained in place and excessive wind didn't damage the ice, the attraction could open as soon as this weekend, February 28/March 1. Cold conditions will remain in place through much of the week, but the wind is still a factor of concern.

The National Weather Service shared this satellite image, comparing ice cover from yesterday to today, and the difference is drastic. The wind will continue to blow through the day as colder air pushes back into the region to bring temperatures back down into the single digits for daytime highs for a few days.

 

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