2004

In the image below, the western end of Lake Erie is obscured by cloud cover. However, there is a very interesting feature on the east end of the lake, where the pack ice that is usually wedged into the are right around Buffalo has broken away and drifted from shore. This is likely due to sustained easterly flow that occurred for a few days before this image was taken. I personally do not like seeing easterly winds at this time of the year, due to the potential to cause ice movements like these that strand ice fishermen offshore. The National Ice Cover image taken from the day after this image was shot shows Lake Erie to be mostly ice-covered.

On Lake Ontario, we have ice cover along the south shore of the lake, but out over the center of the lake that is a band of lake effect cloud cover produced by the convergence of winds from both shores over the center of the lake. The National Ice Cover image shows ice cover on the north shore. Don't forget, the satellite image shoreline grid is off here is you look closely.

Also note the fantastic features in New York state including the deep open waters of the Finger Lakes, frozen Chautauqua Lake and the Allegheny Resevoir, and frozen Oneida Lake.