Frozen Lake Erie? Not Happened In December In Nearly 20 Years

CLEVELAND, OH – It's been 17 years since Lake Erie has been frozen over in December. In perhaps a nod to the New Year, Old Man Winter could do just that this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

With a blast of frigid temperatures sweeping across the Great Lakes through the weekend, lake temperatures could drop to freezing. Currently, the lake is 33 degrees in Buffalo and Toledo, and 36 degrees off Cleveland, according to the National Weather Service. But, with temperatures expected to remain in the teens over the next three days, we might see ice across Lake Erie by Sunday, according to the weather service.

Forecasters at The Weather Network expect lake ice coverage to nearly double on a daily basis between Friday and Sunday, which could mean that most of Lake Erie will be covered with ice. Forecasters say that with the lowest temps, down near zero on New Years Eve, much of the lake will be frozen over.

The Weather Network noted that the last time Lake Erie was frozen in December was on Dec. 31, 2000. The network cautioned, though the definition of the lake "freezing over" does not necessarily mean that there would be a solid sheet of ice from Ohio to Canada, but rather "every part of the lake" had some ice on it.

Lake Erie, the network reported, has never completely frozen over in December – that, it said, "didn't occur until at least mid-January."

Thus, we have something to look forward to in 2018.

Image by Jeff Stacklin/Patch