What Happened To All The Lake Ice In Western New York?

Just a few weeks ago, we were battling frigid temperatures and horrible winter weather. Now, in the middle of March, we've been looking at much warmer temperatures and the prospect of Spring being right around the corner. A testament to how quickly weather patterns can change is how quickly you can go from driving across Lake Erie in a Jeep to having to worry about ice jams and flooding.

During the height of this year's frigid winter, Lake Erie reached 96% frozen—a level that hasn't been seen on the Great Lakes in quite a few years. Ice cover, which was rather low until the beginning of January, rose quickly after two back-to-back Polar Vortices hit the region. That arctic air took the ice on Lake Erie from close to zero ice to more than 80% covered. Then, the extended cold temps helped the lake almost freeze over entirely.

The weather was so cold, and the ice was so thick that parts of the Lake Erie/Niagara River Ice Boom broke this year, but it seems that those days may be over for the season.

Since the end of February, we've seen warming temperatures, some days reaching the high 50s, and that ice disappears rather quickly.

Of course, the quickly disappearing ice also creates a unique situation for areas adjacent to the lake. While the Buffalo airport was near 60 degrees on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, it was still in the 40s downtown.

Ed Nice Jackson / Townsquare Media

The warming trend is set to continue for the foreseeable future, which means more ice will melt on Lake Erie and all over Western New York.

Before you know it, it'll be time to take out the Ice Boom.