Lake Michigan Water Levels Surge Feet Over Past Few Years

Lake Michigan coast. (Credit: Dustin Tinney via Creative Commons 2.0)

Folks living along the Lake Michigan shoreline have been witnessing a big rebound in its water levels since 2013, according to the Milwaukee Journal – Sentinel. The level of the lake has surged by about 4 feet.

In the past year, Lake Michigan levels have increased 9 inches. And in the last month alone, they have gone up 2 inches. A combination of things is behind the rise, including more runoff from higher rainfall and weather conditions slowing the levels of evaporation from the lake’s surface.

Though the lake has worked its way higher over the past few years, it is still more than 2 feet below its all-time high of 582.35 feet in October 1986. But with its current levels of 580.09 feet, there are concerns for the erosion of beaches and bluffs around the great lake.

Top image: Lake Michigan coast. (Credit: Dustin Tinney via Creative Commons 2.0)