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What's New
Great Lakes on thin ice this winter
Medill Reports: Chicago (2/2)
The frozen moonscape of an ice-covered beach can be all too familiar in winter across the Great Lakes, but this winter is largely bereft of these frosty vistas and that could impact the ability of some fish to spawn.

Great Lakes: Anglers best to stick to protected areas
Green Bay Press-Gazette (2/1)
Warm daytime temperatures have eroded ice this week on an already unstable Green Bay system, and anglers are urged to stick to protected bays and harbors or stop at bayside bait and tackle shops for the latest updates on offshore areas to avoid.

Water level plan is widely endorsed
The Recorder And Times (1/31)
A draft plan to control water levels in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River earned the wide support of Canadian and U.S. groups after Monday's release of the report by the International Joint Commission (IJC).

Lack of ice could mean drop in lake levels
Harbor Light Newspaper (1/18)
With warmer temperatures, less snowfall and nearly no ice coverage this winter, it’s likely that spring and summer lake levels could drop at least two inches, according the Army Corps of Engineers.

Flood gages in New York and Vermont saved for now
Press-Republican (1/15)
Eighteen gages used for water quality control monitoring and flood predictions will be kept operational with funds from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

Sen. Ritchie urges meeting to review impact of Seaway water level plan on jobs and port in Ogdensburg
North Country Now (1/14)
State Sen. Patty Ritchie says she’s encouraged by the progress of the International Joint Commission on a long-delayed plan for maintaining water levels in the St. Lawrence River and the Eastern Lake Ontario Basin.

These maps were prepared in partnership with the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS).

Weather conditions: Heavy precipitation fell across much of the Great Lakes basin on Sunday to start the new year, especially within the Lake Michigan-Huron and Lake Ontario basins. Temperatures across the region dropped on Monday and Tuesday of this week to below seasonal averages. For most of this winter, though, temperatures have been above average. The latter half of this week saw rising temperatures which will be above average heading into the weekend. During the upcoming weekend, a cold front is expected to drop temperatures back to near seasonal averages and also bring chances for some lake effect snow showers.

Water Level Conditions: Currently, Lake Superior is near its level of a year ago and Lake Michigan-Huron is 7 inches higher than it was last year. Lakes St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario are 10, 21, and 8 inches, respectively, higher than they were at this time last year. Over the next thirty days, Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron are projected to drop 3 and 1 inches, respectively, from their current levels. The water levels of Lakes St. Clair and Erie are forecasted to decline 1 and 4 inches, respectively, over the next month. Lake Ontario is expected to rise 5 inches over the next thirty days. See the Daily Levels web page for more water level information.

Forecasted outflows / channel conditions: Lake Superior's outflow through the St. Mary's River is projected to be below average for the month of January. Lake Huron's outflow into the St. Clair River and the outflow from Lake St. Clair into the Detroit River are expected to be near average throughout the month of January. Lake Erie's outflow through the Niagara River and the outflow of Lake Ontario into the St. Lawrence River are both predicted to be above average in January.

Alerts: The water levels of Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron are below chart datum, and are forecasted to remain below chart datum over the next several months. Users of the Great Lakes, connecting channels and St. Lawrence River should keep informed of current conditions before undertaking any activities that could be affected by changing water levels. Mariners should utilize navigation charts and refer to current water level readings. Ice information can be found at the National Ice Center's webpage.

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Great Lakes Information Network
Updated: February 3, 2012
Maintained by: Christine Manninen, manninen@glc.org
Selected Photos: Copyright ©John and Ann Mahan
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