Shipping and Logistics

March 5, 2015
Preparations Underway for Great Lakes Shipping Season
Written by Sandy Williams
With less than three weeks to go before the Soo Locks are scheduled to open on March 25 the Great Lakes are 80.4 percent covered in ice.
The heaviest concentrations of ice are Lake Superior, Huron and Erie at 95 to 96 percent coverage. The ice comparison below from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), shows last year’s coverage of 91 percent exceeded the current ice coverage of 80.4 percent on March 4. The amount of ice coverage and thickness varies from day to day depending on weather conditions. The highest amount for this year so far was 88.75 percent on February 2. Ice thickness on Lake Erie has been reported at 8 to 10 feet thick in some spots.


