Frozen -- Not the Movie, the Great Lakes

April is four days away, but the Great Lakes are still more than 70 percent frozen.

The Great Lakes coverage is the highest for this time of year in the satellite tracking era, by a long shot -- more than half again as much as the second most. It's 400 percent of normal.

In Washington DC, the latest honest (i.e., not produced by the government) forecast is the peak cherry blossom bloom will be April 13, which is three days after the two-week long Cherry Blossom Festival ends.

We are also checking in, from time to time, on the status of Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin.  The lake froze over December 15 this winter, 5 days earlier than the long term (160 year) median freeze date, and was reported in February to be double (20 inches) the normal (10 inch) thickness. Most of March was frigid. 

Lake Mendota ice depth chart.  The ice appears to have peaked around three feet in late February and was still close to  two feet in late March.  Ice fishing continued through 3/28 at least . It should be well into April before the lake is clear.

Unless the ice is taken out by heavy rains, I expect Lake Mendota will experience the longest period of ice cover in decades, and possibly in more than a century.  Time will tell.