The headline from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week will be greeted with a resounding, “Duh!” from most anyone who has been anywhere near the Lake Michigan shoreline in recent days and weeks. The Corps tells us in a headline, “Great Lakes Water Levels Higher Than Last Year At This Time.” But the follow up to that headline will be harder to take for those battling high water and erosion.
Essentially, the Army Corps Detroit District Office is announcing that water levels on each of the Great Lakes started 2020 higher than they started 2019, a year where many record high water levels were set across the lakes.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urges those impacted by the high water levels of 2019 to prepare for similar levels again in 2020. The most recent six-month forecast of Great Lakes water levels shows water levels continuing to be well above average over this period. Unlike last year, Lakes Michigan and Huron are forecasted to reach record high levels this year.
John Allis is Chief of the Great Lakes Hydraulics & Hydrology Office for the Detroit District. He says, “It is likely that water levels on Lakes Michigan and Huron will set new monthly mean record high levels over the next couple of months,” and warns, “This sets the stage for coastal impacts and damages in 2020 similar to, or worse than, what was experienced last year.”
The Detroit District monitors and forecasts Great Lakes’ water levels and provides the data and analysis on their website at www.lre.usace.army.mil.
Several natural factors contribute to the record lake levels. Persistent wet conditions across the Great Lakes basin continue to drive high water levels. Many cities across the basin set records in 2019 for the wettest period on record. The warmer than average temperatures in December led to greater runoff due to snow pack melting, especially on lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron, leading to more water supply. The warm air also caused less evaporation off the lakes’ surface, which leads to more water in the system.
The water levels of each lake peaked during this past summer or fall and since then have been in a seasonal decline, however, significant erosion continues in many locations as water levels remain extremely high. Strong storm systems and resulting large waves have led to substantial erosion along much of the Great Lakes coastline.
To find more information about Great Lakes high water you can visit the link below which includes information about how to protect property and investments along the coast and related Corps programs and authorities. Here’s the link:
https://www.lre.usace.army.mil/About/Great-Lakes-High-Water/
