Heavy Freezing Spray Warning Issued for Ontonagon to Upper Entrance of Portage Canal MI
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A Heavy Freezing Spray Warning is in effect from Sunday morning through early Monday for Michigan coastal waters, with ice accumulation rates of 2 cm per hour or greater expected.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Heavy Freezing Spray Warning
- Affected area
- Ontonagon to Upper Entrance of Portage Canal MI
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Marquette MI
The warning type, named area, and issue time define this record. Confirm all three against the original agency notice before treating it as current.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Ontonagon to Upper Entrance of Portage Canal MI.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Marquette, MI, has issued a Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for the coastal waters of Lake Superior. This alert is classified as a severe meteorological event with a high certainty of occurrence.
Affected Areas
The warning specifically covers the area from Ontonagon to the Upper Entrance of Portage Canal, MI.
What You Should Do
Mariners and vessel operators are urged to take immediate precautions. The National Weather Service recommends the following actions:
- Prepare for dangerous and rapid accumulation of ice on vessels.
- If possible, remain in port for the duration of the warning.
- Avoid the warning area entirely.
- Conduct necessary mitigation efforts if already at sea.
Expected Conditions
Heavy freezing spray is expected to occur at a rate of 2 cm per hour or greater. This level of spray can rapidly accumulate on vessels, leading to significant hazards. Potential impacts include:
- Mechanical and electronic components becoming inoperative.
- Rapid ice accretion on decks and superstructures.
- A catastrophic loss of vessel stability due to the weight of the ice.
Timeline
The warning is scheduled to take effect at 7:00 AM EST on Sunday, February 22, 2026, and is expected to remain in place until 1:00 AM EST on Monday, February 23, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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