I hope you are not tired of my stories about Lake Erie because today again I will mention it =)
Don’t judge me strictly, but there is always so much to tell about this beautiful and mystique lake and its area.
You sent me many questions about what will happen to this lake Erie in strong frost that’s why I decided to answer you in this article.
Just to remind you:
Lake Erie is a part of the Great Lakes, and it is considered as a true freshwater lake with huge waves.
In terms of the total volume of water, the Great lakes are somewhat inferior to the largest reservoir of fresh water on the planet – Baikal.
But the Great Lakes significantly surpass it in terms of water surface area.
They are slightly larger than the area of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which makes them the largest lake system in the world.
Does Lake Erie Freeze?
Yes, the last time it was frozen was 9 years ago (2014).
At that time,the surface of Lake Erie was over 95 percent frozen!
This has not happened to the largest system of freshwater reservoirs for a long time.
Other four lakes – Superior, Huron, Michigan, and Ontario which are located in the United States and Canada were frozen too.
The frosts that stood in those parts broke the record of 1979.
Then the surface of the Great Lakes froze over 97 percent…
Does Lake Erie Completely Freeze?
Yes, but it can happen during severe frost in the mid of December.
Last time Lake Erie was frozen was in 2014.
Back in 2014, the severest frosts in the northern United States and Canada beat the record of 1979, when the surface of the Great Lakes was 95% frozen.
Winter of 2014, in particular, in the state of Minnesota was severe.
The thermometers have repeatedly dropped below 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
Before 2014, the last time the Great Lakes froze over 90% was in 1994.
In Winter 2014 , all the lakes froze ahead of time, the first Lake was Lake Erie, because it is not the deepest one.
Already at the end of November, the reservoirs were covered with ice, although this usually happens not earlier than mid-December.
Scientists also noticed that the ongoing processes were very unusual for Lake Michigan.
This reservoir is traditionally less prone to freezing. 90.5% of its surface was covered with ice. The last time there was so much ice – 92% – was here in 1979, and the absolute record belongs to 1977 – 93%.
How Often Does Lake Erie Freeze?
It happens really rare, once in 10 years during strong frost.
Close to Lake Erie, it is cold in winter, it often snows. In winter months it often snows but not often there is severe frost.
But storms, floods, and small hurricanes can happen often on the Lake.
For example:
In December 2022, In Buffalo – the city predicted to be one of the hardest hit – gusts of wind pushed Lake Erie beyond flood levels. According to the weather service, the water level rose another four feet.
In 2017 close to Lake Erie, about 51 inches of snow fell in 30 hours.
Local authorities declared the Lake Erie area as an area of emergency. The city airport was closed, the federal and local courts were closed,classes were canceled after a student was found near campus in critical condition due to extreme weather conditions.
The student later died in the hospital.
Does Lake Erie Freeze Every Year?
No, it freezes only during extreme frost.
Due to its shallow water and despite being the warmest in summer, the lake is the first one that will be frozen in case of strong frost.
The shallowest part of Lake Erie is located in the western basin, where the depth ranges from 23-25 feet.
But Area close to Lake Erie is considered to be the snowiest area in the USA.
Since the lake is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, it is also the warmest.
In winter, cold air circulating over warm water heats up, absorbs condensation and rises, where the moisture is converted into snow.
Buffalo is known as one of the snowiest cities in America.
Winter Storms at Lake Erie
Lake Erie storms are not inferior in strength to ocean storms: the speed of a suddenly changing wind direction reaches 93 mph, the height of unusually short and steep waves reaches 45-46 feet, often due to surges, the water near the windward coast can rise by an inch or more.
The hallmark of lake storms are the “three sisters” – three waves, going one after another, which can be up to 66 feet high.
For a long time, scientists considered the “sisters” to be idle tales, but later oceanologists took the stories of old sailors seriously.
The most dangerous storms on the lake are November ones.
The primacy among them belongs to the Great Storm of 1913, which raged over all the lakes on November 7-11, 1913.
It destroyed 12 ships and 250 people and threw another 30 ships on the stones from the old barge to the new bulk carrier with a displacement of more than seven thousand tons.
Only the cargoes that went to the bottom were worth more than a million dollars, and the losses from destruction on land were not at all calculable.
Tornadoes at Lake Erie
Tornadoes are also rare at Lake Erie.
Here is one of the examples:
On a sultry Saturday evening, June 28, 1924, several funnels descended from a huge amber-yellow cloud to the Sandusky Bay of Lake Erie.
One of them swept over the city of Sandusky, then re-entered Lake Erie and, having traveled about 25 miles, reached Loraine.
Here, the path of the tornado, which gained strength, ran straight along Broadway, clogged with walkers, the main street of a prosperous industrial city and one of the centers of shipbuilding of the Great Lakes.
According to modern estimates, the tornado was the smallest F4, and the vast majority of the 80 dead and 300 injured were in Loraine.
Various properties were destroyed for 13 million dollars, or over a billion in current prices.