Lake Michigan’s water levels drop rapidly, raising concerns about climate impact

GREATLAKES,Mich.,(WPBN/WGTU)—Ifyou’vedrivenalongtheLakeMichiganshorelinerecently,you’veprobablynoticedlowwaterlevels.Whilewe’renotathistoricallows,levelscontinuetodrop. “We’reabout12inchesbelowthelong-termaverageforthelake,”WatershedCenterGrandTraverseBayWaterkeeperHeatherSmithsaid.“Wearelowerthanlastmonthandcertainlylowerthanwewerelastyear.” Smithsaidthecurrentdropisnormalforthistimeofyear,butthespeedofthedeclineisunusualandconcerning. “LakeMichiganandLakeHuronarestillabovethelowestlowonrecord.There’saboutafootandahalftogobeforereachingthatlowestlowonrecord,”Smithsaid.“However,wearepredictedtocontinuefallingintowinter,whichispartofanormalcyclefortheGreatLakes.” Shenotesthatin2019and2020,thelakeswerenearrecordhighs. “Whatresearchersandpractitionersareunderstandingisthatclimatechangeishavinganimpactonwaterlevels,”Smithsaid.“We’reswitchingbetweenthehighsandlowsquicke