The water level in Lake Michigan has fallen below its long-term average, just a few years after reaching a near record high.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers physical scientist Deanna Fielder tells us the December measurements from the Corps show Lakes Michigan-Huron heading into the dead of winter down.
“The monthly mean water level peak was in July for Lake Michigan here on this 2024,” Fielder said. “Since then we’ve seen a decline of about 20 inches if you use the July monthly mean to the December monthly mean. So, we have seen an above average decline.”
Fielder says the weather is the main reason.
“A lack of precipitation or precipitation that’s below average. That was really a contributing factor this fall, as well as some dry conditions that led to — if you decrease precipitation, you also lead to decreased runoff.”
Fielder says Lakes Michigan-Huron typically reach their yearly low around February, so they’ve probably got another few inches to go before a spring rebound is likely.
A spokesperson for the Corps confirms the December monthly mean level was 40 inches below their record high, set in 1986, and 24 inches above their record low, set in 2012.
The Army Corps office further says water levels on the Great Lakes go through periods of both high and low water. In the past two decades Lake Michigan-Huron has experienced both record high and low levels with the most recent being the record high water levels in 2020. Since 2020, water levels have trended downward and are below long-term average levels.
