A spokesman for the US Coast Guard in Sault, Michigan says the forecast is favourable when it comes to assisting with ice breaking in preparation for another shipping season at the Sault Locks.
Director of Vessel Traffic Mark Gill says above average snowfall with slightly below average temperatures this winter has contributed to ice coverage across the Great Lakes and especially Lake Superior which peaked last week at 93% which is 20% more ice coverage than what is normally the case.
Gill says Superior currently sits at about 83% coverage and he expects it will be around 45 to 50% when the Locks are scheduled to open in a week…

Gill says both the St. Mary’s River and the Straits of Mackinac are 100% covered and the plate thickness on the St. Mary’s is 16 to 20 inches.
Preparatory work done for the better part of a week has involved the lower St. Mary’s River.