Below-freezing temperatures made for icy conditions on Lake Superior near Duluth, Minnesota, on Thursday, December 28. It meant the US Coast Guard Cutter Alder worked to cut through ice in the shipping lanes on the harbor.

Ice cutters had to free ships near the Soo Locks on Thursday after they were frozen, a news report said. The stuck ships created a backup of freighters waiting to use the St Marys River, which links lakes Huron and Superior. Credit: US Coast Guard via Storyful