Weather conditions: Warmer seasonal temperatures settled into the basin earlier this week before a low pressure system moved in. The system brought cooler temperatures and wet conditions back into the region before it moved south toward the Ohio Valley. Looking to the weekend, expect more rain and cool temperatures. High pressure will build in on Sunday before another storm system approaches early next week.

Water Level Conditions: All of the Great Lakes except for Lake Ontario remain several inches higher than their levels of a year ago. Lake Ontario's level is the same as it was last year at this time. The water levels of Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron are expected to decline by 2 inches over the next month. Lake St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are expected to decline 3, 2 and 4 inches, respectively, over the next 30 days. Over the next several months, Lake Superior is predicted to be near its level of a year ago. Lakes Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, and Erie are forecasted to remain at or above last years levels over the same time period. Lake Ontario is forecasted to be near or below its levels of a year ago over the next six months. See the USACE Daily Levels web page for more water level information.

Current outflows / channel conditions: In September, the outflow from Lake Superior through the St. Mary's River and the outflow from Lake Michigan-Huron through the St. Clair River were below average. The Detroit River and Niagara River carried near average flows during September. The outflow from Lake Ontario through the St. Lawrence River was above average in September.

Alerts: 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.