Lake Michigan Ice Cover Before and After Subzero Temperatures

2026 has gotten off to an icy start, with much of the country dealing with an Arctic blast that has prompted 12 states to declare states of emergency. Around Michigan, temperatures have plummeted to subzero temperatures, to the point that Grand Rapids nearly beat its coldest temperature record.

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While that didn't happen, we have had a prolonged period of below-freezing temperatures that have created dangerous conditions. Michiganders have been dealing with ice and snow all week, but there is one perk to situations like this.

The one thing that does come with constantly cold temperatures is the freezing of the Great Lakes, an occurrence that has become rarer in recent years. So with temperatures over the weekend dropping to -19°F, we're checking in on how ice Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes have developed in a short time.

Lake Michigan Ice Coverage Before and After Subzero Temps

This current storm is an excellent example of how quickly ice can form under the right conditions. On Friday, January 23rd, temperatures began to plummet. As temperatures crossed 0°F, only 22.3% of the Great Lakes were covered in ice, with barely any of Lake Michigan frozen.

READ MORE: Is It Safe to Walk on Frozen Lake Michigan? Experts Say No

Lake Erie is always the most covered of the Great Lakes, as it is the shallowest. Even before the temps dropped, it was 70% covered.

But over the weekend, things changed drastically. By Sunday afternoon, Lake Erie was covered entirely in ice. Much of Lake Michigan's southern shore was covered in ice, while the northern parts reached temperatures in the teens.

Lake Superior and Huron water temps were both in the teens, with Superior's southern lakeshore frozen and Huron's lakeshore covered in ice on all sides.

Temperatures have returned to zero, causing ice coverage to diminish slightly, but as temperatures are expected to remain in the single digits for most of the week, the coverage will likely extend further across the lakes.

If you want to learn more about what conditions are needed for Lake Michigan to freeze, you can read about them here.