Great Lakes see near-record low ice for time of year
January has been much warmer than usual, allowing very little ice on the Great Lakes to form yet this winter season.
Every single day so far this month has been at or above freezing, with less than an inch of snow accumulating so far.
Lake Michigan typically sees maximum ice coverage sometime in the first half of February.
Many of our recent winters have featured low lake ice early in the season. Last winter season also started on a slow note but saw a rapid acceleration towards the end of January with ice concentration climbing to the 34% range during the middle of February.
It’s not impossible for big jumps in ice concentration to occur. Very cold stretches of weather or shots of cold air from a polar vortex event can be enough to add on the ice at a fast pace. Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie are all also near record low for this time of year.
Lake Erie often sees erratic ice gains and losses through a winter season, so it is less remarkable that it is at a low currently.
Lake Superior’s low ice is more remarkable. It is the deepest Great Lake, but due to its far northerly location it usually is around 15% this time of year. As of now, it is sitting at 2.7%.
The last several winters have been slow to deliver on Great Lakes ice concentration. The last time Lake Michigan was able to top 50% ice concentration for the season was 2018-2019.
A flip to colder weather is expected towards the end of January into early February. While the exact forecast is not set in stone, a lean towards colder than average is looking much more likely than continued warmth, a good sign for snow lovers.
WoodTV8
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding to build wind farm service operational vessel
You will see more activity soon on Sturgeon Bay’s working waterfront. Fincantieri Marine Group announced Wednesday that it would be building a 288-foot vessel at its Bay Shipbuilding location in Sturgeon Bay. The contract is with a joint venture between Crowley and ESVAGT. The ship will be a Service Operational Vessel (SOV) that will transport technicians to service and sustain the operation of wind turbines at sea in the United States.
The building of the HAV 832 SOV vessel will allow it to be in service by 2026 and serve the Dominion Energy wind farm off the coast of Virginia.
Fincantieri Marine Group CEO Marco Galbiati said, “We are proud to be associated with important ‘green’ projects like this.
Several LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) bunkering barges are currently being built at Bay Shipbuilding, and more Winter Fleet vessels are arriving this month for service.
Fincantieri Press Release
