Great Lakes Water Levels

Lake Huron-Michigan Water Level Hovers Near Record

It’s soooo close. The Detroit Army Corps of Engineers is reporting that all of the Great Lakes have exceed record water levels last seen in the 1980’s, except for the Lake Huron-Michigan Water Levels.

Lake Huron-Michigan Water Level
Bayport is awash with high lake levels

We have seen the impact of the high lakes. Non-floating docks in some marina’s are awash. Beaches have eroded and folks have to scramble down a five foot sand dunes to get to the water. Trees along the shoreline have toppled into the lake.


Less then One Inch Away from Record

The Army Corps of Engineers preliminary June measurements point out a minisule difference of breaking the record for Lake Huron-Michigan Water Level last set in 1986.

They also point out that the trend of ongoing high lake levels may continue with the high in-flow of Lake Superior and higher then average rain in July. However starting in August, Lakes Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are projected to be 1, 4, 5 and 9 inches, respectively, less than their current levels.

Long Term Forecast of Lake Levels

Lake Huron-Michigan Water Level Frecast
Lake Level Forecast thru Spring 2020

Its expected that staring in the Fall, Lakes Huron-Michigan will begins its normal seasonal drop through the winter months. However lake levels are look to remain above the mean into 2020.

The lower Great Lakes of Erie and Ontario will likely continue to exceed the mean well into 2020. Thus flooding may occur with strong prevailing winds in southwest portions of Lake Erie affecting Michigan and areas around Toledo Ohio.



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Michael Hardy

Michael Hardy is the owner of Thumbwind Publications LLC. Michael was born in Michigan and grew up near Caseville. In 2009 he started this fun-loving site covering Michigan's Upper Thumb. Since then, he has authored a vast range of content and established a loyal base of 60,000 visitors per month.

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2 thoughts on “Lake Huron-Michigan Water Level Hovers Near Record

  1. My parents built a cottage two miles west of Port Austin in 1945 i think. WE lived in Bad Axe and had it for so many years….. as it was close. Spent most of our summer months there, and have seen so many water levels high and lows…….. hard for a person who does not know the lakes to see or know what the lake can do. High levels of the 80’s or so took down a lot of trees that had been there forever.. and many homes were in danger. we all were back from the shore but it sure seemed it was taking away the beach at a fast rate coming towards the front of our cottage. In the late 60’s the lake was so low you could not get you boat out and in . We sold the cottage in the early 90’s . Best days of our lives. Miss it and Huron county. (live in Florida now) Ken Arthur Peterson

    1. Thanks Ken…I was a little kid in the early 60’s so I dont recall Saginaw Bay being that low. I was told that folks were able to drive their cars out into the shallows of the lake and wash them in the lake. Then in the 1980’s it was high enough to take out seawalls and beaches as its doing today. But around 2012 it was low again. Ebb and flow.

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