The ice cover on Lake Erie directly affects lake-effect snow chances. What's the status of ice cover on the lake so far this winter?

I attempted to research whether this dramatic failure of a large area of lake ice is common, or at least, a documented phenomena. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any credible information ...

The average annual ice cover over the Great Lakes region responds very closely to seasonal changes in annual temperature. However, each lake exhibits its own individual response and timescale ...