The unusual deep freeze gripping southwestern Ontario concerns the Canadian Coast Guard, which is warning that all ice near shipping routes should be considered unsafe.
Canadian and U.S. coast guards to begin ice-breaking operations on Lake Michigan on Saturday and will make their way into Lake Huron, including Georgian Bay. (Courtesy Boatnerd.com/U.S. Coast Guard)
Andre Maillet, a supervisor of operations for the Canadian Coast Guard, said all the ice on the lakes and the wind coming from the north are bad news for navigation.
“The current winds … and with the cold, compresses the ice, it solidifies the ice and makes it very very difficult to escort anybody through that,” Maillet said.
Approximately 60 per cent of the Great Lakes is covered with ice, according to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.
Despite being led by an icebreaker, ice jams stranded three ships on the Detroit River on Jan. 6. If the cold continues, it could lead to more ice jams filling up the Great Lakes and more ships could get stuck.
“There’s some serious ice out there,” said George Leshkevich, a scientist at the research laboratory.
Ice covered approximately 30 per cent of the lakes last year.
Great Lakes satellite imagery
http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/modis/region_map.html
Thanks to Paul Lauren for this link