State of the Great Lakes: See peak summer ‘22 temperatures for each lake

The sun sets over Lake Michigan off South Haven, Mich., Aug. 18, 2022. (Garret Ellison | MLive)

Fall temperatures may be here, but the Great Lakes are still warmer than they were on the Fourth of July.

Because of their size, the Great Lakes take awhile to heat up. But for the same reason, they also take time to cool down.

All five hit their 2022 peak in August and have cooled about 5 degrees since, according to data from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Here’s a summary of the latest Great Lakes temperatures and water levels.

When each lake peaked in temperature

The Great Lakes typically hit their peak in early August, but Michigan’s three lakes didn’t reach their 2022 peak until late August.

Here’s the maximum temperature each Great Lake reached this summer, judged by the average surface temperature of the entire lake.

  • Superior: 62.4 degrees, Aug. 23
  • Michigan: 71.4 degrees, Aug. 24
  • Huron: 71.1 degrees, Aug. 23
  • Ontario: 75.5 degrees, Aug. 7
  • Erie: 77.3 degrees, Aug. 7

It’s important to note these are average surface temperatures across the whole lake. It’s typically warmer in southern parts of the lakes and in bays. Click here for more temperature data from specific points along the lakes.

Here are the latest temperatures for each Great Lake, as of Thursday, Sept. 22.

  • Superior: 59.1 degrees
  • Michigan: 68.4 degrees
  • Huron: 67.5 degrees
  • Ontario: 68.8 degrees
  • Erie: 72.1 degrees

The chart below shows how the temperatures have fluctuated throughout the year so far.

(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)

Lake Michigan is typically warmer than Lake Huron. But, as the graph shows, Huron came within 0.1 degrees of its neighboring Lake Michigan in late August.

Michigan and Huron typically stay above 60 degrees until early October – so a beach day isn’t out of the question in the next few weeks, if air temperatures pick back up. For comparison, Lake Michigan was below 64 degrees on the Fourth of July, while Lake Huron was below 59 degrees.

Here’s a look at the 2022 temperatures of the Great Lakes compared to the average temperatures for each day from 1995 to 2021.

Now, let’s look at the latest water levels for the Great Lakes.

Lake levels fluctuate based largely on precipitation volumes over the surfaces of the lakes themselves, according to federal scientists. Levels are also influenced by land runoff, among other factors. Lake Superior and Ontario levels are regulated through dams that allow some engineering control over water levels.

Historically, annual changes in lake levels shift slowly, although most of the Great Lakes jumped from a period of very low levels to very high levels around 2013.

NOAA/GLERL measures how high the lake surface is above sea level – not the depth of the lake.

Here’s the latest for each Great Lake.

Superior: Up 1 inch

Lake Superior was the only Great Lake to rise in August, according to NOAA/GLERL.

It went up 1 inch, to be 602.52 feet above sea level. That’s higher than August 2021, but lower than all other Augusts from 2014 to 2020.

Superior typically rises in the spring and summer before receding in the fall and winter.

Here’s a look at Superior’s water level each month from 2012 to 2022.

(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)

Lake Michigan-Huron: Down less than 1 inch

Lake Michigan-Huron receded 0.72 inches between July and August to 580.02 feet above sea level.

GLERL/NOAA considers Lake Michigan and Huron together for water levels, since they’re hydrologically one lake. Water flows through the Straits of Mackinac under the Mackinac Bridge and the water levels are equal on both sides.

Late summer is typically when Michigan-Huron starts receding each year. This is the lowest Lake Michigan-Huron has been in an August since 2015 – although lake levels had been historically high in recent years.

Here’s how Michigan-Huron’s water level has changed from 2012 to 2022.

(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)

Lake Erie: Down 2 inches

Lake Erie’s water level went down by 2.4 inches in August, to 572.67 feet above sea level.

Erie typically starts receding for the year in July or August. The lake peaked for the year at 573.1 feet above sea level in June before going down in July and August.

The lake is more than a foot lower than it was in August 2020.

Here’s how Erie’s lake level has changed since 2012.

(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)

Lake Ontario: Down 8 inches

Lake Ontario was at 245.21 feet above sea level in August, down about 8.3 inches from July.

Ontario is usually the first Great Lake to start receding each year, peaking around May or June. Lake Ontario – which is on the other side of the Niagara Falls – is the lowest Great Lake relative to sea level by far. While the others measure around 570 to 600 feet, Ontario averages less than 250 feet above sea level.

Here’s how Ontario has changed each month since 2012.

(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)

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