Great Lakes Ice Nears Record Thickness

Coast Guard Ice cutters (similar to the one you see pictured here) are having a very tough time clearing paths so ships carrying freight and cargo can make it through extraordinarily thick ice on the Great Lakes.  It's been so cold for so long the vast majority of surface water is frozen solid. Nearly 88% of all of the Great Lakes now have at least some ice cover. The most ever: 95% in early 1979.