By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Great Lakes water levels are believed to have hit their peaks this year.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, announced that each of the Great Lakes, except Lake Superior, have likely reached their peak water levels for the year and are predicted to decline. Lakes Michigan-Huron set another new monthly mean record high water level in July, however the water level is expected to slowly drop the rest of the year. Water levels on Lakes St. Clair, Erie and Ontario all continued to decline last month, with no new records set on those lakes in July. The water level of Lake Superior is expected to peak next month before entering its period of typical seasonal decline.

Chief of the Great Lakes Hydraulics and Hydrology Office John Allis says while they expect water levels to decline across most of the Great Lakes, levels still remain extremely high. The Corps most recent forecast projects that Lake Michigan-Huron will likely set another new record high monthly mean water level next month in August before dropping back beneath record highs in September. With the continued high water on many of the lakes, and the approaching active fall storm period, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is urging those impacted by the high water levels last fall to be preparing for similar or worse impacts over the next few months.