The colder-than-average winter in combination with the recent resurgence of arctic air into the region has caused ice to cover almost all of Lake Superior.
The last time Lake Superior was considered frozen over was during the winter of 2002-03. The lake also froze over in 1996 and 1979.
Lake Superior freezes over on average about once every 20 years. Because of its large size and depth, if Lake Superior does freeze over, it usually takes until late February or March for it to happen.
Because of large fissures that form in the ice because of wave motion, there are almost always some small open areas on the lake, and that was the case this year as well.
Because of the extreme cold experienced during the 1978-79 winter, it is theorized that perhaps that winter Lake Superior may have briefly frozen completely over.
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