Lack of GT Bay Freeze Hurting Cherry Crops

The Freep’s Barbara Arrigo writes that ice records on Grand Traverse Bay show a disturbing new pattern: after 13 decades in which the bay froze at least seven winters out of every 10, the rate slipped in the 1980s, froze only three times in the 90s and only once in the 21st century. The figures come from the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station’s Jim Nugent, who explains that ice on the Bay keeps things cooler and protects the cherries from developing blossoms too fast.

Read Why less winter ice is the pits for state in the Freep