On October 7, Lake Superior’s October daily mean water level was 602.94 feet, states the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report.
That’s about four inches less than the September average, which Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie also experienced.
In recent years, October’s daily mean average has been 603 feet for Lake Superior, which is higher than the long-term October average of 602.1 feet.
The highest October level for Superior was 603.38 feet, recorded in 1985. In 1925 Superior’s October level was 600.72 feet, which still stands as the lake’s low reading.
The other great lakes: Michigan and Huron (581.67), St. Clair (576.62), Erie (573.34), and, with the exception of Lake Ontario (245.28), which is 14 inches lower than last year, are all at or near their October water levels when compared to the same period the previous year.
According to the Army Corps of Engineers, water levels will remain well above the long-term October averages for all of the Great Lakes. Still, the Corps reports that Lake Superior is predicted to decline 3 inches next month, while Lake Michigan and Huron, St. Clair, and Ontario are expected to decrease four inches by November 2. Lake Erie is expected to fall six inches over the same time frame.
As winter nears, temperatures cool and rain subsides, the Great Lakes should continue on their period of seasonal decline.
The U.S. Corps of Engineers has kept records of great Lakes monthly water levels since 1918.
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