SUPERIOR, Wis. (AP) — Ships using Lake Superior are having a tough time due to the worst buildup of ice
in decades.
The
National Weather Service started tracking freeze-ups in 1978, and says
this is the second-fastest and thickest ice-up in 35 years, according to
Wisconsin Public Radio News (http://bit.ly/1aaYocK ). Coast Guard Soo Vessel
Traffic Director Mark Gill said this is the worst since 1989.
"Christmas
Eve was the first sign of trouble," Gill said. "It got to the point
that we’re not able to take ships down there anymore because the ice is
so thick that it’s pressed to the bottom."
A trip from Duluth, Minn., to Gary, Ind., that normally would take three days now takes six to seven,
Gill said.
The
down-bound lane on the St. Mary’s River connecting Lake Superior with
the lower lakes is closed. Gill said they use another measuring stick
called "freezing degree days" — the number of degrees below freezing
each day. He says they used to close the locks when that number reached
500.
"Using the old standards of closing the locks at 500 freezing
degree days, we would have closed the locks the Monday before
Christmas," Gill said.
Many ships on the Great Lakes are tying up early for the winter, Gill said. The Soo Locks close
Wednesday.
___
Information from: Wisconsin Public Radio, http://www.wpr.org
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.