ST. JOSEPH, Mich.– Video from a pier along Lake Michigan on Thursday morning showed thick coats of ice along the railings caused by an arctic blast of air dropping temperatures across the U.S.
While Lake Michigan itself has no ice coverage at this point in the season, temperatures are below freezing, allowing spray from the lake’s crashing waves to freeze.
In the video, the waves of Lake Michigan can be heard and seen in what little space is left between the pier’s railings and the ice.
High temperatures in St. Joseph on Thursday reached 26 degrees with lows in the teens all week.
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Ice covers the pier in St. Joseph, Michigan on Dec. 4, 2025.
(Nate’s Dronography via Storyful / FOX Weather)
Different angles of the ice-covered pier revealed the ground peppered with ice, with long finger-like icicles hanging off the railings.
While Lake Michigan is ice-free for now, that could change soon.
The different depths of each of the Great Lakes determine how likely they are to start freezing.
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As we near peak season for lake-effect snow, there’s hardly an ice coverage on the Great Lakes, but that’s about to change as single-digit temperatures settle in with an arctic blast. FOX Weather Meteorologist Jane Minar explains how ice coverage impacts lake-effect snow.
More deep lakes like Lake Michigan are less likely to see ice cover as quickly as Lake Erie and Huron will.
Once the ice moves in, lake-effect snow events are expected to decrease, said FOX Weather Meteorologist Jane Minar.
Only time will tell how soon ice cover will start to take over the Great Lakes.
