Dramatic global cooling this winter has created 4X more ice than average in the Great Lakes. Almost 4X the amount of ice as on this date last year. The average high for Great Lakes ice coverage of 42.53% is typically reached on March 4. On February 4, with ice coverage standing at 43.2%, the Great Lakes reached its average high exactly one month early. One year ago, Great Lakes ice coverage stood at 11.3%. In 2016 on this date, it stood at only 7.2%.