March is the first month of the year where you feel the temperature begin to rise. March guarantees at least a few days above freezing, and is the beginning of the winter thaw.

What makes March unique is the ice cover on Lake Superior. Ice cover has been recorded since 1973. In that time, NOAA data says Lake Superior has frozen over 100% exactly once, which occurred March 8, 1996. Since being recorded, Lake Superior reaches an average maximum ice cover of just 50% on March 3.

I began this project in 2019, one of the most wintery winters I’ve ever experienced with Superior reaching over 90% ice cover. The following year, it hardly crossed 20% at its max.

It’s hard to believe the first day of Spring happens in March.

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” ― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations