Overall we did not get as much snow fall this winter as we have in the past.
The Coastal Stewardship Coordinator for the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation Authority explains, that's not a total surprise, given the amount of ice cover on the lake this winter.
Daniela Klicper says this year Lake Huron had the highest ice cover since 2015 and that was above the maximum long term average. She says the long term is 55 per cent coverage and that's typically around the late February – early March period, so as of the end of February, the total ice coverage around the Great Lakes was around 69 per cent and around 73 per cent on Lake Huron.
She adds that also indicates a bit of a trend. In 2018, we had around 70 per cent, 2017 we had around 30 per cent and in 2016 we had around 45 per cent, so it has increased over the past three years.
She explains the winds blow across the lakes and pick up the moisture that is dropped on us as snow. The more open the lake is the more moisture that gets picked up. This year was cold, so a lot of the lake was covered and we didn't get much snow.
“The long term is 55 per cent coverage and that's typically around the late February – early March period, so as of the end of February, the total ice coverage around the Great Lakes was around 69 per cent and around 73 per cent on Lake Huron.”
“In 2018, we had around 70 per cent, 2017 we had around 30 per cent and in 2016 we had around 45 per cent, so it has increased over the past three years.”