What Does Lake Erie Look Like From Space?

The top image is a high resolution satellite photo of Lake Erie last week as the snow began to melt and temperatures started to climb. The lower photo is a satellite photo take in Feb 2010 showing the heavy ice cover in the lake effect areas north of Cleveland. Notice the cracks in the ice and the open water near New York. The detail on both is amazing.The red dots represent the cities of Cleveland, Lorain and Conneaut

The next two weeks will be critical in determining whether or not conditions will be cold enough for ice to form on Lake Erie. We really need about a solid week to ten days of below normal temperature to get the process started. The front coming through Sunday might set the stage for this but there is no guarantee that it will be long enough for ice to form; maybe some partial ice in the western basin.

 Will this arctic air now in eastern Canada slide further south next week?