Lake Michigan Water Level
February 28th, 2009 at 11:31 am by Bill Steffen under Bill's Blog, Weather
The water level of Lake Michigan is up 2 inches in the last month. Usually the lake level goes down in winter. The rise is because of above average runoff to the area rivers due to above normal precipitation (not lake-effect, which is basically water coming out of the lake that goes back into the lake – net gain zero). Lake Michigan is a whopping 11″ higher than it was one year ago (that’s a lot!) and that represents nearly 5 TRILLION (sounds like the federal budget!) gallons of water added to the lake. The lake is still 10″ below the long-term late February average. All the Great Lakes are higher than one year ago, with the exception of Lake Erie, which is exactly the same as last year. However Lake Erie is 6″ higher than average and Lake Ontario is 10″ higher than average. River levels are high due to Thursday PMs rain, so the lake level may add another inch this coming week. Enjoy the sunshine this Saturday, my solar panels are cranking out the heat right now! Check out the visible satellite loop. There’s a tornado watch for GA – FL. and a Winter Storm Warning for Northern Mississippi.
Season snowfall update: LAN – 64.7″, Ionia – 68.0″, Grand Ledge 67.8″ Big Rapids – 72.4″, BTL – 73.6″, Houghton Lake – 93.8″, Kalamazoo (WMU) – 99.6″, Hastings – 97.2″, Grand Rapids – 104.5″, Lake City – 115.8″ Holland – 122.3″, Oshtemo – 118.0″, Bloomingdale – 135.0″, Muskegon - 147.8″, Ludington - 161.8″, Gaylord – 160.9″ Hart – 162.7″, 11 SE Kalkaska – 174.3″ Wellston (eastern Manistee Co.) – 191.7″, Mancelona – 204″, Munising – 215.5″ Marquette – 216.5″, Mancelona – 204″, Allouez Township (Keweenaw Peninsula – Upper Michigan) – 259.5″ Twin Lakes (also U.P.) – 274. 2″, Snowbird, Utah – 358″, Alyeska, Alaska – 410″, Alta, Uah – also 410″ (coincidence),
Nice. Global warming, cooling, climate change, what can we ‘blame’ this on?
I’ll have to make a trip up North to see how the levels are up there. Water is so far down from when I was a kid.
But according to the Canadian IMAX movie I saw on the great lakes, they’ve been draining since the ice age (back when global warming started?)
Bill, maybe I can stop breaking my props up north. Lets hope it keeps rising.
Rob,
What are you talking about? What is there to blame?
Breckenridge Season Snow Total Stands At 70.4
Any predictions on long range forecasts for March?? Warmer temps!! (I hope) Any big early spring storms??? I’m ready for a good old severe t-storm!
Still waiting for the warm weather, boy, do I need to clean my car!!
If you want severe t-storms, go to Missouri. They are awesome there.
Bill, thanks for continuing to update the snowfall totals for the season. I’m from West Michigan and appreciate detailed weather reporting – and now live in Ann Arbor which is often overlooked by Detroit weather broadcasts. If you can, please include A2 data in the state totals – we’ve had some whopper snows the last three years – more in 2007-08 than GRR! – and it helps to know it’s not our imagination dealing with snow piles everywhere. Thanks!
Please send some of that water out here to San Jose, CA. Too much sunshine and not enough rain/snow has left Silicon Valley in a near-drought.
This is darn good news to this sailor!!! =)
Bill….LOVE the DETAILS you give. You are a CLASS AAAAA Weatherman
Trillions of gallons of very cold water….that should help the mass diagram against global warming…..
Thanks Bill for the great data, just hope the snow fall in the UP and Canada brings up Lake Superior….although I have been enjoying the newly created beaches.