{"id":110340,"date":"2026-02-10T19:53:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T19:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/110340\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T19:53:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T19:53:15","slug":"lake-erie-massive-ice-crack-captured-on-satellite-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/110340\/","title":{"rendered":"Lake Erie massive ice crack captured on satellite video"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearly all of Lake Erie has frozen over from this winter\u2019s plunging Arctic outbreaks. But on Sunday, a massive, roughly 80-mile-long crack formed on this colossal sheet of ice, and satellite images captured it all.<\/p>\n

The crack started from Port Burwell, Canada, and stretched all the way to Cleveland, Ohio. As of Tuesday, about 95 percent of the lake, the shallowest of the five Great Lakes, has frozen over.<\/p>\n

\"ThisThis satellite image captured a massive crack forming in the ice on Lake Erie on Sunday.NOAA<\/p>\n

Lake Erie sinks to depths of 60 to 65 feet at times, so sudden changes in air temperatures and\/or wind speed and direction can create enough friction to crack the thick ice. The ice is up to 28 feet deep in spots, according to the National Ice Center.<\/p>\n

The lake does see extensive ice coverage every winter, usually covering about 60 to 70 percent of the lake in the peak of winter. But this winter has been particularly cold, with over 90 percent of the lake freezing over just the past two weeks. <\/p>\n

Take a look at the ice concentration below, with nearly all of Lake Erie in the red (covered) in ice. You can also see how ice conditions on the lakes compare to last year at this time. <\/p>\n

\"LakeLake Erie is mostly covered with thick ice up to 28 inches thick.USNIC\"AA look at the ice thickness of the Great Lakes this same time last year.USNIC<\/p>\n

Since satellite imagery began monitoring Great Lake ice concentration in the 1970s, Lake Erie has only frozen 100 percent just three times, most recently in 1996. Given how cold this winter has been, there is a chance that the entire lake could freeze over, but those chances are low.<\/p>\n

Right now, Lake Huron is about three-quarters frozen over, Lake Superior is about half ice, and Lake Ontario has 42 percent ice cover, according to the NIC.<\/p>\n

Despite the thick ice, the U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes Division has been deploying its icebreakers to keep the waterways open for commercial traffic.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw carves a path through ice-covered Lake Michigan while responding to a vessel trapped in the ice last week in the Straits of Mackinac.US Coast Guard\/Apple Photos Clean Up<\/p>\n

Ken Mahan can be reached at ken.mahan@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him on Instagram @kenmahantheweatherman<\/a>.<\/p>\n