If you have ever lived or visited West Michigan during the winter, you may have wondered how those 20-foot icy-snow mounds form over Lake Michigan’s ice shelf! Having lived near the lake all my life, I was one of those people and finally seized the opportunity to watch the progression! Follow along as numerous photos and a few videos help demonstrate the process, but also the dangers and risks humans take lured by the beauty of the ice shelf.

• Unlike the other four Great Lakes, which often completely freeze over in winter, Lake Michigan has never completely frozen over in recorded history. Lake Michigan is actually a huge, deep reservoir of heat which is released slowly into the air. Altogether, with regular wind and wave action, ice formation is inhibited.
• The years of 2014 and 2019 experienced major polar vortex events, which brought in Canadian air from the north resulting in record-breaking cold temperatures. Lake Michigan froze a record 93% during the 2014 event. Typically, the ice shelf over Lake Michigan ranges between 35% and 60% during the peak winter month, which is usually February. The Polar Vortex event of 2019 lasted longer than the 2014 event which caused schools churches and businesses to shut down for an entire week in many cases.
• Lake Michigan’s ice sheet or “ice shelf “ is typically observed closer to the coasts and channels due to more shallow water and protection from winds and currents leaving the middle of the lake ice free.

The shorelines of each Great Lake are distinctive and stunning, but Lake Michigan stands out as the deadliest of the five Great Lakes. The lake is unmistakably dangerous in the winter as frigid temperatures form the ice shelf. But especially dangerous when temperatures reach above freezing and melting begins simultaneously when curious and adventurous people venture out onto the ice shelf. (See tiny figures in photos above and below)

I captured most of these photos one week after the 2014 major polar vortex event when the ice shelf was substantially built up and a meltdown was taking place. Sightseers were taking risks climbing up the huge mounds, especially the guy near the edge in the photo above. Every year someone either has to be rescued or loses their life from falling into the freezing water while walking on the ice shelf.

Polar Vortex extreme cold coming down from Canada – 2014

More about the dangers below, but first – What is the process whereby the freshwater reservoirs of the Great Lakes transform from free-flowing into frozen suspension?

Initially, the sustaining air temperatures fall below freezing creating a thin frozen ice sheet over the surface of the big lake. Next, ice chunks are broken up by the wind and wave action and sometimes the ice chunks are rolled into ice pancakes and ice balls (ice eggs) by the waves perpetual back and forth motion. Eventually, the ice chunks and ice balls are slowly pushed towards the shore and stick together, the beginning stages of the ice shelf. As winter winds and freezing temperatures continue, the ice shelf spreads farther outward from the shore and builds-up higher over the existing shelf as crashing waves spray more and more ice chunks upon the existing shelf along with additional inches or feet of snowfall. The colder, windier and snowier the winter, the farther the ice shelf grows outward and the higher it builds upward. But be warned, the ice shelf is unstable and encompasses crevasses and ridges, unanchored to the lake bottom. Never step far out onto the ice shelf and whatever you do, don’t be alone with noone there to report or assist with a dangerous situation.

Nates Dronography of Lake Michigan ice shelf developing in the begining stages. Source

Dangers of Lake Michigan’s Ice Shelf

There have already been serious rescue incidents in 2026 and reports of fatalities related to people falling through or off the edge of Lake Michigan ice shelves. When someone accidentally plummets into the icy waters, hypothermia sets in quickly along with loss of muscle control. Sadly, too many people have lost their lives in this way. One tragic incident locally happened years ago when a young boy fell in and drowned, along with his father trying to save him. This happens with people and their dogs as well.

The farther out a person decides to venture, the deeper the lake water and the more dangerous.

Don’t be fooled into thinking the large ice hills are solid. Underneath them are loose cracks and pockets caused by the currents below, especially when things start to melt. Another problem is that a person can easily lose footing along the edges as the surfaces become very slippery from the melting and refreezing processes.

Ice Shelf Unstable Edges and Collapsed Edge

Lake Michigan Ice Shelf Deep Holes and Deep Gullies

Stunning ‘ice volcanoes’ captured on Lake Michigan! These form when waves push water through ice shelves, creating cone-shaped eruptions. Source

You may be wondering if I took risks in order to capture these photos? Well, slightly, I admit, but I was careful not to go past the first tier of ice shelf mounds where the water would not have been over my head in case I did fall through. Plus, the closer you are to shore, the more solid the ice shelf. If you look closely at the photo below, you can observe three rows or tiers where the splashing ice balls did their thing. This is caused by fluctuating temperatures causing ice to partially melt and then re-freeze, strengthening some layers while creating weak spots in others, which often leads to uneven or tiered formations.

I captured these willing sightseers on the first tier of the ice shelf and that was precarious enough for us. We did not walk farther out from this spot where the water is deeper and the shelf may be shallower in places. We stayed back but watched others foolishly venture out to the distant edges of the ice shelf.

. . . And finally, when temperatures steadily become warmer, the snow and ice chunks separate once again and the ice shelf melts away!

And soon you can do this . . .

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