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According to the Army Corps of Engineers December 30, 2022, weekly Great Lakes Water Level Update, Lake Superior is 10 inches higher than last year, while the other Great Lakes are 5 to 17 inches below last year’s levels.
Recent big snows and rain have added lots of water to the Great Lakes. According to the report, “A bomb cycle brought subfreezing temperatures and strong winds to the eastern half of the United States last weekend. On December 23, the daily high temperature in Duluth, Minnesota and Chicago, Illinois, were 2 and -1 degrees (F), respectively. Temperatures were around 20-30 degrees (f) below normal in the western and southwestern portions of the Great Lakes region. The bomb cyclone also brought a furious snowstorm that pounded places like Grand Rapids, Michigan, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and Buffalo, New York all weekend.
“The forecasted December 30 water levels for Lake Superior, Michigan-Huron, and Erie are all two inches below their level of one month ago, while Lakes St. Clair and Ontario are eight and three inches, respectively, above what they were a month ago. Lake Superior, Michigan- Huron, Erie, and St. Clair are 4-15 inches above their long-term December average levels, while Lake Huron is a ninth below its long-term December monthly average.”
Going forward, the army Corps reports that Lake Superior outflow through the St. Mary’s River, Lake Michigan-Huron outflow through the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair outflow through the Detroit River, and Lake Erie outflow through Niagara River will be above average in December. Conversely, forecasts show Lake Ontario’s discharge through the St. Lawrence River to be below average in December.
The water level in Lake Superior is currently estimated to be 602.20 feet.
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