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Great Lakes ice coverage flirts with 1979 record

LANSING, Mich., Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Michigan's chief climatologist said the heavy ice cover on the Great Lakes would likely delay the arrival of spring.

Jeff Andersen, who doubles as a geography professor at Michigan State University, said the lakes were more than 88 percent covered with ice this week, which will keep the region chilled a little longer than usual.

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"We haven't seen many winters like this that are cold from beginning to end," Andersen told the Detroit Free Press. "It has been an extraordinary winter, and the ice cover is a manifestation of that unusually cold winter."

The ice coverage was near -- but not likely to break -- the 1979 record of 95 percent coverage. Temperatures were expected to climb into the 40s next week.

The deep freeze and the icy lakes have minimized lake-effect snowfalls and will keep fruit trees dormant longer, which will minimize the likelihood of damage from a spring cold snap, Andersen said.

The ice also limits evaporation, which could raise the low water levels in the lake.

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