Recap of snow, ice and water in Canada

<strong>Snow cover</strong>

After a record snow cover extent across Canada in December, the rest of the winter ended up averaging slightly above normal for snow cover extent.

Currently, snow cover continues to steadily retreat across southern Canada. The first map below shows the latest snow cover extent/depth for southern Canada and the U.S. The second image is what it looked like exactly one year ago today.

<img src="https://vortex.accuweather.com/adc2004/pub/includes/columns/miscellaneous/2017/590x337_04171659_nsm_depth_2017041705_national.jpg"/>

<img src="https://vortex.accuweather.com/adc2004/pub/includes/columns/miscellaneous/2017/590x337_04171701_nsm_depth_2016041705_national.jpg"/>

<strong>
Sea/lake ice status</strong>

Clearly, this was a down season for ice on the Great Lakes with very little ice formation compared to normal.

<img src="https://vortex.accuweather.com/adc2004/pub/includes/columns/miscellaneous/2017/590x455_04171704_glseaice.jpg"/>

The above map from the Canadian Ice Service shows that the weekly ice coverage was well below the median (green line) for much of the winter season.

Keep in mind, sea ice extent can be highly variable from year to year on the Great Lakes.

Farther to the northeast, the waters surrounding Atlantic Canada also had less ice coverage compared to normal this past season but not nearly as low as the departures in the Great lakes.

<img src="https://vortex.accuweather.com/adc2004/pub/includes/columns/miscellaneous/2017/590x455_04171706_atlcanice.jpg"/>

<strong>Water temperatures </strong>

The image below shows the most recent global sea surface temperature anomalies.
<img src="https://vortex.accuweather.com/adc2004/pub/includes/columns/miscellaneous/2017/590x421_04171710_2017041700_054_g6_global_i_season_tm@lg@sd_000.png"/>

Note the cooler areas relative to normal off the Pacific Northwest and south of Greenland. The past two years we had the big blob of warm water off the West Coast. Melting glaciers in Greenland may be sending colder, fresh water into the area south of Greenland.

Very little ice (0.4 %) is left on the Great Lakes, with just a few pockets in some northern inlets. The map below also shows the current surface water temperatures.

<img src="https://vortex.accuweather.com/adc2004/pub/includes/columns/miscellaneous/2017/590x460_04171714_glsea_cur.png"/>

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