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. ||||| If this winter needed a theme song, it might be “Ice Ice Baby.” 
 
 The Great Lakes are on the cusp of a record for ice cover. 
 
 “In the last one to two weeks, we’ve seen rapid accumulations on Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan,” said Jeff Andresen, an associate professor in Michigan State University’s geography department who also is the state climatologist. 
 
 The ice cover on the lakes increased from 79.7% to 88.4% just in the last week, putting the region close to the record of almost 95% set in February 1979, according to data compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor. 
 
 ■ Related: 4 Michigan cities among the snowiest in America 
 
 ■ Related: Relentless winter saps snow-removal budgets 
 
 The extensive ice cover has had some interesting and positive effects, like shutting off lake-effect snow, making it sunnier in parts of northern and western Michigan and limiting evaporation, which could help boost lake levels. 
 
 And the ice cover, Andresen said, could help delay the spring warm-up — good news for farmers as it helps keep certain crops, like fruit trees, dormant longer and less susceptible to freezing early in the growing season. 
 
 Andresen said that the winter of 2013-14 also is shaping up to be one of the five coldest in Michigan in recorded history, although it’s still early to say for certain. 
 
 “We haven’t seen many winters like this that are cold from beginning to end,” he said, noting that this is the fourth consecutive month that is colder than normal. “It has been an extraordinary winter, and the ice cover is a manifestation of that unusually cold winter.” 
 
 He cautioned that temperatures forecast in the 40s next week could hurt the chances to break a record for ice cover. 
 
 “Given the warmer weather next week, it may not be in the cards, but it’s way, way above normal,” Andresen said. 
 
 Still, he cautioned not to “put the snow blower away just yet” because some forecasts predict that extremely cold weather could return later in the season. 
 
 George Lessens, chief meteorologist at WZZM-TV (Channel 13) in Grand Rapids, agreed that the ice cover on the Great Lakes is substantial, but he doubts the region will hit a record. 
 
 “We could see the lakes getting close to that record if we had another week to 10 days (of below-freezing temperatures), but we’re going to go into the 40s next week. That’s really going to put the brakes on it,” he said. 
 
 If the lakes fail to beat the record, we can blame Lake Ontario. 
 
 “Lake Ontario is still quite a bit uncovered. They’re holding everyone back,” Lessens said. 
 
 Lake Ontario’s depth and the churning caused by Niagara Falls mean that it needs long stretches of exceptionally cold weather to freeze. It had ice cover of just over 40% Thursday. Other lakes are almost completely covered: Superior, 93.6%; Huron, 95%, and Erie, 95.7%. Michigan was at 81%. 
 
 The extensive lake ice provided a backdrop for U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, a Harrison Township Republican, on Thursday as she traveled aboard the U.S. Coast Guard’s 225-foot icebreaker, the Hollyhock, from Port Huron. 
 
 “I was interested to see up close the vast amount of ice blanketing Lake Huron and extremely impressed with the skill, dedication and persistence demonstrated by the crew of the Hollyhock as they cut through the ice,” Miller said in a news release. 
 
 “This winter’s brutally cold conditions create even greater challenges as they work to stay ahead of the ice and prepare for ice jams during the spring thaw.”
– 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.)