It may be March, but Old Man Winter shows zero signs of slowing down. In fact, we will likely be below normal through at least mid-month. Despite the common case of the "winter blues" in most homes, this cold and snowy weather pattern we have been in for several month does have a silver lining. One of the biggest pluses is the big lake in our backyard. 
 
 By now, you've heard of the extensive ice coverage on the Great Lakes. At times this season, over 90% of the Great Lakes had ice cover. That's an incredible amount that hasn't been seen since 1978! 
 
 While a frozen lake may not sound like a pleasant thing, it plays an important role in the overall health of the Great Lakes. That's why we went to Ann Arbor to talk to Drew Gronewold, a hydrologist with the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab. 
 
 "When we talk about the relationship between ice and water levels, it's important to take a step back and take a look at temperatures and water levels." 
 
 Simply put, cold water evaporates much slower than warm water. As ice develops and the water cools, evaporation is much less. This is why lake effect snow events in the late winter and early spring are typically less severe than those that come earlier in the season. 
 
 "This time of the year, we don't have high evaporation rates whether or not there is ice because the water is so cold," says Gronewold, "what we do expect is that the extreme cold conditions now and the ice will make it a lot harder for the water to warm up in the ways it has in the past in the summer." 
 
 Over the past two years, Lake Michigan's water level reached lows that haven't been seen since records began in 1918. This caused enormous economic struggles for shipping industries that were forced to lighten loads as well as hotels that no longer had a sandy beach. 
 
 "By next fall, water temperatures will be cooler and the evaporation rates next fall will be less than they have in the past. That's the key connection. Water levels should rise a bit." 
 
 In addition to aiding in relief of Lake Michigan water levels, this cold weather is also good news for bug control. Invasive species such as the emerald ash borer and the Asian stink bug will struggle this spring because of the cold weather over the past several weeks. 
 
 Even mosquitoes will have a lesser population at the start of spring. However, the summer mosquito population is not completely determined by the previous winter. A warm spring with plenty of standing water is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. If we see a cooler and drier spring, the population will likely be less come the summer months. 
 
 Another benefit to this cold weather is burning calories! It takes more energy for your body to keep warm in the cold versus the warmer weather. This is especially true if you begin to shiver. 
 
 However, of course, it's not recommended you stay outside and shiver to lose weight. But if you typically go on a daily walk or run, doing so in colder weather will burn more fat versus mild weather. ||||| Lake Superior is now 91 percent covered by ice — the most since 1994 — and the great lake may even surpass a record dating back more than 30 years in coming days, experts say. 
 
 And that massive chunk of ice, it turns out, has not only become a maze-line jungle gym of ice structures for visitors to marvel at, it's helping the environment. 
 
 The ice cover may even eclipse the 1979 record of 95 percent with temperatures expected to dip in the coming days after “one polar vortex after another,” Jia Wang, a research ice climatologist for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, told NBC News. 
 
 “In the next week or two, the forecast is that the temperatures will be under freezing.The lake still has about 10 days to grow in ice cover — 5 percent is no problem,” he said. 
 
 Indeed the long duration of lower temperatures this winter has allowed a lot more ice to form. 
 
 The frigid stretch has even allowed visitors to Lake Superior to hike to fairy-tale like ice caves that have formed around the great lake in Michigan — a phenomenon that hasn’t occurred in 20 years. 
 
 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also cites the increased ice cover as having environmental benefits. Ice cover with little snow cover lets light shine through — stimulating the growth of algae that feeds other living organisms, NOAA said. And in the shallow waters where whitefish spawn, ice cover shields eggs from harsh winds. 
 
 Maybe the cold isn’t so bad after all. ||||| The latest arctic outbreak, with morning low temperatures at record cold levels, has caused the Great Lakes to rapidly ice back up. 
 
 The overall entire Great Lakes system is rated at 90 percent iced over, according to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory(GLERL). This is the highest percentage of total ice cover this year, and increasing rapidly. GLERL has been using the same method to rank ice cover percentage since 1973. The highest ice total on the entire Great Lakes was 94.8 percent in 1994. 
 
 Lake Superior is now 95 percent covered with ice. That is up from 78 percent one week ago. The satellite image is fascinating and shows a whole lot of ice. Lake Superior has been frozen over 100 percent one time since 1973, back in 1996. 
 
 Lake Michigan's ice cover has made the most dramatic increase in the last seven days. The ice cover percentage has grown from 30 percent last week to 90 percent March 2, 2014. This 90 percent ice cover is the highest so far this season, and the highest amount of ice cover since 1994. The record since 1973 is 93.1 percent, back in 1977. 
 
 Lake Huron is also flirting with being entirely frozen over. Right now Lake Huron is listed with 95 percent covered with ice. It has been that way for the last five days. This is the most ice since 2003, and the record level since 1973 is 98.5 percent. 
 
 Lake Erie is also virtually frozen over, with 95 percent of it covered in ice. Lake Erie has been 100 percent covered in ice three times: 1978, 1979, and 1996. 
 
 Lake Ontario has finally started to have ice grow on the surface. It is now rated as 45 percent covered in ice. This is the most ice on Lake Ontario since 2003. The highest ice total on Lake Ontario is 86.2 percent in 1979. There are even reports of parts of the Niagara Falls freezing. Lake Ontario is the slowest to ice up because it is deep without much surface area for heat to escape. 
 
 Will ice continue to grow? 
 
 The next three days look very cold across the entire Great Lakes, so ice should continue to grow. Some areas of the southern Great Lakes could warm to between 32 and 36 degrees on Friday. After Friday, temperatures will generally be below normal, but at times warm into the 30s. 
 
 So I think the Great Lakes may reach peak ice this Thursday or Friday. We only have 4.9 percent to go to reach record ice levels. 
 
 We've come this far. We might as well have a record. That way we can say we remember when... 
 
 If you have more historical accounts of ice on the Great Lakes, please share them below.
– This long, cold winter has created the most ice cover on the Great Lakes in 20 years—and with ice cover usually at its peak in mid-March, there's still time for records to be broken. Lake Superior is now more than 90% covered by ice, reports NBC, and with temperatures set to plummet yet again in the days to come, forecasters believe the 1979 record of 95% ice cover across all the Great Lakes could fall by the weekend. Lakes Michigan, Erie, and Huron are all virtually frozen over and ice is starting to cover Lake Ontario, the slowest to freeze, reports MLive, which notes that there have been reports of even parts of Niagara Falls starting to freeze. While many people in the region have had quite enough of winter, the continued cold is excellent news for the lakes because it will help replenish water levels, a hydrologist with the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab says. "By next fall, water temperatures will be cooler and the evaporation rates next fall will be less than they have in the past. That's the key connection. Water levels should rise a bit," he explains to WSBT. The cold weather will also make life harder this spring for invasive species like the Asian stink bug. (Thanks to all the ice, it's possible to walk to Apostle Island Ice Caves on Lake Superior for the first time in five years.)