Weather conditions: Seasonally mild temperatures were paired with dry air this past week across the Great Lakes basin. This weekend is expected to see the coldest temperatures so far in February basin wide. These cold temperatures are expected to bring some snow to the lower Great Lakes Basin and moderate lake effect snow showers to the typical snow bands across the north.

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 17, 26, and 23 inches, respectively, higher than they were at this time last year. Over the next thirty days, Lake Superior is projected to drop 2 inches from its current level, while Lake Michigan-Huron is projected to remain steady. The water levels of Lakes St. Clair and Lake Erie are forecasted to remain steady, while Lake Ontario is forecasted to increase 1 inch over the next month. See the Daily Levels web page for more water level information.

Forecasted outflows / channel conditions: Lake Superior's outflow through the St. Marys River is projected to be below average for the month of February. 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 February. 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 February.

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.