Icebreaking Season

USCG Cutter Morro Bay | credit: USCG

Each winter, crews from the USA and Canada work jointly to perform icebreaking, marine traffic assistance, search and rescue, and other tasks on the Great Lakes.

The U.S Coast Guard (USCG) is the agency responsible for conducting icebreaking operations to assist commercial vessel traffic in the Great Lakes and other connecting waterways of the United States.

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) is the agency responsible forice breaking on Canadian waters of the Great Lakes and connecting waters.

Operation Taconite is the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest domestic ice-breaking operation, encompassing Lake Superior, the St. Mary’s River, the Straits of Mackinac, and Lake Michigan.

Operation Coal Shovel includes icebreaking operations in the southern part of Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair and Detroit River systems, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario.

Traditionally, icebreaking season begins in December to January and winds down in March. Leading up to and during the spring thaw, considerable effort involves clearing channels and ice dam mitigation.

Prior to unstable ice conditions, public safety officials usually remind outdoor enthusiasts to  remove ice fishing shanties and refrain from venturing onto remaining ice.

Some of the harshest ice conditions ever recorded in the Great Lakes occurred during the winter of 2013-2014. At one point during March 2014, 92.5 percent of the Great Lakes were covered by ice; the highest percentage of ice coverage seen since 1979.

Related Information

Historical Icebreaking Photos