Q: The Weather Channel reported that Lake Michigan was 93 percent covered by ice, which is close to a record. Did the other Great Lakes have record ice coverage?
—William McKee Jr., Flowery Branch
A: The ice cover on the Great Lakes peaked at 92.2 percent on March 6, the highest mark since 1979, and the second highest level in records that date to 1973. This is the first year since 1994 that four of the lakes – Superior, Huron, Erie and Michigan – were more than 90 percent covered. Lake Ontario was at 59 percent and typically has less ice because it has three times the water volume of Lake Erie, The Weather Channel reported. "Persistent cold temperatures in the Midwest this winter have almost completely frozen over many of the Great Lakes," the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich., said in a release. Lake Michigan set a record of 93.29 percent ice cover, breaking the previous mark of 93.1 percent set in 1977, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Q: Did Andy Griffith have children? If he did, who are they and what are they doing?
—Eddie Webster, Douglasville
A: Actor/singer Andy Griffith and first wife Barbara adopted two children, Andy Samuel "Sam" Griffith Jr., and Dixie Nann Griffith. Sam Griffith was a California real estate developer who died of alcoholism in North Hollywood in 1996. He was 38. Daughter Dixie Griffith, who has three daughters, does volunteer work in Denver.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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