2018-May-11
May 11, 2018 Water Level
In the coming week, a band of rain is expected to pass through the region, with the exception of the Lake Superior basin. Along with the precipitation, temperatures are expected to rise over the weekend into the beginning of next week.
The Great Lakes water levels are all above their long-term average May levels. Lake Superior is 1 inch lower than it was at this time last year, while Lake Michigan-Huron is 6 inches above last year’s level. Lakes St. Clair and Erie are at the same levels they were during this time of year in 2017. Lake Ontario is 22 inches below its historically high monthly level from a year ago. Over the next 30 days, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan-Huron, Lake St. Clair and Lake Ontario are forecasted to rise 4, 3, 2 and 1 inches respectively, while Lake Erie is expected to remain at its current level.
Lake Superior’s outflow through the St. Marys River and Lake Michigan-Huron’s outflow through the St. Clair River are forecasted to be above average in May. Lake St. Clair’s outflow through the Detroit River and Lake Erie’s outflow into the Niagara River are also projected to be above average The outflow of Lake Ontario into the St. Lawrence River is predicted to be above average for May as well.
