Having already witnessed widespread flooding from storm surges and record lake levels, nobody will be too pleased to see the latest forecast for Lake Michigan water levels delivered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers out of the Detroit District, for levels 10 inches above last year.
The Army Corps says forecast water levels are above their levels of one year ago for Lakes Michigan & Huron, as well as for Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. Meanwhile, Lakes Superior and Ontario are below levels of last year.
The Corps goes on to say that water levels on Lakes Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, and Erie are predicted to be 10, 2, and 3 inches, respectively, above their levels last year. Because of their connections at the straits of Mackinac, Lakes Michigan and Huron are measured as one.
With a forecast in that zone, there’s little doubt that property owners along the shores of Lake Michigan will face ongoing threats to the integrity of the shoreline, with increased threats of bluff erosion, shoreline erosion, flooding in low lying areas, and potential further damage to both structures and infrastructure along the lakefront.
The survey forecast comes on the heels of record and near-record lake levels set all across the Great Lakes region over the past year and beyond.
The Corps says in this latest forecast shared on Friday that at least Lake Superior is expected to be 2 inches below last year’s level and Lake Ontario is expected to be 3 inches below last year’s level.
The forecast daily levels for May 1st on Lakes Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, and Erie were 2, 4, and 4 inches above their monthly mean record high May levels, respectively. In one month Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, and Ontario are projected to be 3, 2, 1, and 3 inches, respectively, above the forecast level for May 1st. Lake Erie is projected to be 1 inch below its forecast level on May 1st by the first of June.
From March to April, Lake Michigan had already risen three inches, and officials at the Detroit District continue to forewarn that with higher lake level projections, everyone needs to increase protections considering the record-breaking nature of the past year.
The photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market is courtesy of award winning professional photographer Molly Pate of Berrien Springs.
