Damaging 'ice shoves' possible on Great Lakes
Ice shoves are possible on the Great Lakes through Monday night as strong winds could pile up jagged ice onto shore.
When warm air weakens the ice enough for strong winds to blow it toward shore, the ice piles up creating “ice shoves.” That’s what happened here in Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin.
A rare phenomenon known as an "ice shove" is possible through Monday night on the eastern shores of the Great Lakes as whiteout conditions are expected across the Northeast.
Also known as an "ice seiche" or "ice tsunami," these events can pile huge chunks of ice onshore, damaging homes and closing roads.
The potential ice shoves, along with downwind lakeshore flooding, are just some of the problems that high winds will cause through Monday night.
"Powerful west to southwest winds during the day on Monday before the arrival of the cold front over the Great Lakes can lead to shifting ice that can pile up on the eastern shores of the lakes," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham explained.
Mounds of ice collect along the Lake Erie shore at Hoover Beach, in Hamburg, N.Y. (AP Photo/Carolyn Thompson)
Ice shoves are separate events from ice floes and ice jams, which Monday's winds could also cause. Seiches, also caused by high winds, can only occur if most of the lake is ice-free but can add to the height of ice shoves.
They all involve ice, but they’re not the same. Find out what makes ice floes, ice jams and ice shoves different.
On Feb. 25, 2019, mounds of ice collected along the Lake Erie shore at Hoover Beach in Hamburg, New York, closing the Niagara River Parkway and threatening homes.
Another ice shove that was caught on video from Lake Huron hit Saginaw Bay, Michigan, in 2021.
Photos from the Hoover Beach area in New York show ice flowed over onto the beach on Sunday, February 25, 2019. (Town of Hamburg Emergency Services)
Ice shoves don't have to occur on large bodies of water. On May 11, 2013, at Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota, an ice shove hit homes on the shore of the small, land-locked lake.
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