Drone video shows kayakers navigating giant 'ice pancakes' on Lake Michigan
“Pancake ice" consists of flat pieces of ice with a raised rim due to repeated collisions, generally caused by waves.
Kayakers navigate giant ice pancakes on Lake Michigan
A break in ice-cold temperatures allowed kayakers to enjoy Lake Michigan on Monday, including navigating among these giant ‘ice pancake' formations (Nate's Dronography via Storyful).
ST. JOSEPH, Mich. – A break in ice-cold temperatures allowed kayakers to enjoy Lake Michigan on Monday, including navigating among these giant "ice pancake" formations.
According to the National Weather Service, "pancake ice" consists of flat pieces of ice with a raised rim due to repeated collisions, generally caused by waves.
This video was taken close to the St. Joseph North Pier Inner Lighthouse in Michigan. Video of the same area last week showed the lighthouse completely encased in ice.
The drone captured the sound of the wind blowing in off the lake, as ice chunks could be seen in the distance for more than a mile.
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Drone video shows historic lighthouse encased in ice in Michigan (Video from 2024).
Footage shot on Monday captures images of the St. Joseph North Pier Outer Lighthouse that turned into a frozen wonderland. (Courtesy: Nates Dronography via Storyful)
A lot of that ice has broken into these smaller chunks due to milder temperatures that moved into the area in recent days. Temperatures reached the mid-50s in St. Joseph on Monday.
Nathan Voytovick of Nate’s Dronography, who captured the video, told Storyful that the ice shelf was breaking, leaving "floating icebergs everywhere."
Great Lakes ice coverage reached a historic low last year since recordkeeping began back in 1973, according to NOAA.
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Lake Michigan is currently 13.2% covered by ice, significantly below average.
Lake Michigan is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and depth.