The 2025-2026 winter layup list is now up and running at https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2025-2026
Coast Guard conducts ice-breaking operations
CLEVELAND – Coast Guard cutters Mackinaw (WLBB 30) and Neah Bay (WTGB 105) conducted ice-breaking operations to free, assist, and escort vessels transiting the Great Lakes on Jan. 21, 2026.
The Mackinaw freed and escorted the Wilfred Sykes, a 678-foot motor vessel beset by ice on Lake Huron, and the Neah Bay directly assisted the American Spirit, a 1,004-foot motor vessel icebound on Lake Erie.
Both of these missions are direct results of Great Lakes District ice-breaking operations Operation Taconite and Operation Coal Shovel. These are domestic ice-breaking operations established to provide ice-breaking services to assist vessels in emergency or urgent situations, assist communities in need and facilitate navigation on ice-covered waterways.
“Coast Guardsmen have worked from sunup to sundown, to ensure the safe navigation of the ice-stricken maritime transportation system,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jeremy Tyrrell, Neah Bay’s commanding officer
[USCG]
Cold weather boosts Great Lakes ice coverage
Michigan’s extreme cold this week has allowed ice to expand quickly throughout the Great Lakes, with officials reporting the highest coverage of the 2025-26 season.
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, 25.08% of the Great Lakes were ice-covered, with Lake Erie recording the most ice at 76.57%., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.
The thickest ice has formed on Lake Superior’s shorelines — 12-28 inches in places — with lakes Erie, Michigan and Huron seeing a range of thickness from less than 2 inches up to 12 inches. Though the ice is thickening, shelf ice along shorelines isn’t considered safe.
The Arctic temperatures — with wind chills as low as minus 35 degrees, according the National Weather Service — are forecast to linger in Michigan through the weekend, so ice is likely to continue expanding through next week.
Lake Superior is forecast to see above-normal ice conditions this winter. Lake Ontario is forecast to see slightly below-normal ice; and lakes Huron, Michigan, Erie and St. Clair are predicted to see near-normal ice, according to the North American Ice Service’s seasonal outlook, issued on Dec. 1.
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%.
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.
[Lansing State Journal]
