NOAA Confirms Great Lakes Are Free of Ice

Jun 11, 2014 09:24 AM EDT | Matt Mercuro

For the first time since December, the Great Lakes are free of ice.

The holdover winter freeze lasted almost the entire spring season, according to UPI.com.

With just two weeks left until the summer solstice, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has confirmed the Great Lakes are free of ice.

Just a few weeks ago, Memorial Day visitors could be seen sprawled out on the warm sands as giant icebergs floated by in the background, according to UPI.com. Last week even a marine warden with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources spotted a large chunk of ice serving host to a flock of seagulls in Lake Superior.

After one of the coldest winters in decades, the Great Lakes are devoid of icy bird-perches.

Though a string of 80-degree days is mostly responsible for the melting, the Coast Guard also helped out, logging over 2,000 hours of ice breaking duties during the winter and spring, according to UPI.com.

Though Great Lakes locals can look forward to warm weather in the future, the water will remain cold for some time, which of course means fog.

"It's going to be the summer of fog," said Peter Blanken, a researcher at the University of Colorado, according to the release. "The water will stay really cold, but summer air tends to be warm and humid. And any time you get that combination, you're going to have condensation and fog, basically evaporation in reverse."

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