What the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is predicting for the upcoming months for the water levels of the five Great Lakes.

Ice coverage for all of the Great Lakes combined was 23.21% – the highest since February 26, 2022, when it was 56.1%. At the beginning of this month, ice coverage was less than 2% across all the lakes.

The Great Lakes' ice coverage was lagging behind average for much of the winter. Now, coverage is above average for some lakes.

The ice coverage in Lake Erie has rapidly expanded to 80% this week. February and March are peak maximum ice coverage periods for the Great Lakes.

The dip of Arctic air into the Midwest expanded ice coverage across all 5 Great Lakes, some seeing greater increases than others.

Funding for much of the work of monitoring pollutants on the U.S. side of the border comes from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. That money is approved through 2026. An extension of that funding through 2031 has passed the U.S. Senate but still needs House approval.

Even though the lakes have begun to ice up, the snow will continue to fall as the lakes enhance the snow brought in by a series of weak clippers into next week. Lake-effect Snow Warnings have been posted for parts of Upstate New York on Friday where an additional foot of snow could fall by Saturday morning.

Strib Voices publishes a mix of commentary online and in print each day. To contribute, click here. ••• The new “golden age” promised by Donald Trump in his inaugural speech Monday ought to include a commitment to finish cleaning up the Great Lakes.

"All Too Clear” will show Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Alpena as part of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary International Film Festival. Both filmmakers will be in attendance with the robot they used to make the documentary. Tyler Thompson is the Morning Edition host and reporter at Interlochen Public Radio.

UTICA, N.Y. -- With the recent arctic weather here in the Mohawk Valley, some Great Lakes are finally beginning to freeze. This event typically happens in most winters, but sometimes, if average temperatures remain warm enough, the lakes do not freeze. As of Jan. 23, Lake Erie is almost completely frozen over.

The program, funded through grants from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, is part of a larger goal to partner with universities across the state to gain a greater understanding of the Great Lakes.

According to a recent study, recreational fishing in the Great Lakes is worth $5.1 billion. The Great Lakes Fishery Commission hired Southwick Associates to calculate the economic output. The area studied includes sportfishing in the eight Great Lakes states and Ontario.