News & Fun in Michigan
Thumbwind tracks and reports on the status of the Great Lakes Water Levels. From the record lows of 2013 to the record high water levels of 2020.
Record-high precipitation in the Great Lakes Basin has not raised water levels above January averages. Despite warmer weather and heavy rainfall, Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron experienced declines. Stakeholders are advised to monitor changing conditions and navigational alerts closely, especially with ice formation impacts.
Recent weather patterns have affected Great Lakes water levels, with a decline noted in Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron, while Lakes St. Clair and Erie remain above average. Upcoming storms may influence precipitation and snow accumulation, resulting in further water level fluctuations as conditions evolve.
As October ends, Great Lakes water levels are below long-term averages due to warm temperatures and persistent dry weather. Lakes Michigan-Huron, Superior, and Ontario are 4 to 8 inches below historical averages, while Erie and St. Clair are slightly above. Forecasts predict further declines into November, affecting navigation and regional ecosystems.
Nestle, a company based in Switzerland, can already suck and export up to 250 gallons a minute from a well in Evart, Michigan. Now it wants a new permit that would allow the company to pump 400 gallons of water each minute of the day.
Niagara Falls webcams are showing an effect of high Great Lakes water levels. Locals and regular visitors to Niagara Falls have noticed that the iconic falls has increased its roar this year.
An Idaho radio station cites the political power of the western states as a potential lever to pump Great Lakes water to drought-stricken west.
Is it possible that the entire Great Lakes Region could become an oasis for a water-starved America.
Watch a time lapse account of over 40 years of change of Huron County. Watch change across Huron County’ s landscape beginning as early as 1984.
A more troubling part of the study’s forecast was that Lake Michigan-Huron is expected to decrease to 174.5 by 2030, only eight years away. This would make it 3.5 feet lower than the lows measured between 2000 and 2014. Such a drop may render some coastal ports and marinas inoperable, and it may be possible to walk to numerous islands on Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay and North Channel.
