Water levels on Lake Huron are always changing. They can change within a few hours (short-term changes) in response to a storm system, undergo seasonal changes in response to higher evaporation rates in the late fall, winter and spring, and higher precipitation and melting snowpack in spring, to long-term changes that can see Lake Huron fluctuate within a range of about two metres between highs and lows.
Long-term changes in the level of the lake is the difference between the amount of water coming into the lake and the amount going out. This is the determining factor in whether the water level will rise, fall or remain stable. When several months of above-average precipitation occur with cooler, cloudy conditions that cause less evaporation, the levels gradually rise. Likewise, prolonged periods of lower-than average precipitation and warmer temperatures typically result in lowering of water levels. When less ice forms on the lake, as has happened in recent winters, evaporation can be much greater.
Southern Georgian Bay Shoreline Stewardship Guide
Webinars:
High Water Levels: How they impact shore processes and shore protection with Pat Donnelly, LHCCC
Harnessing Nature’s Power: Natural Infrastructure Vs. Hardened Shorelines
Coastal Processes with Professor Robin Davidson-Arnott
Going with the Flow: Water Levels and What Shapes Lake Huron
Great Lakes Now (USA) High Water Levels
IJC TRi-Board Public Webinar July 2020
Links:
Tiny Township Press Release June 2, 2020
International Joint Commission www.ijc.org
Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative www.glslcities.org
Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation https://www.lakehuron.ca/
Georgian Bay Great Lakes Foundation (GBGLF) www.
Severn Sound Environmental Association https://www.severnsound.ca/programs-projects/monitoring/water-levels
Fisheries and Oceans Canada puts out a Monthly Water Level Bulletin including the average water level for the month and previous record highs and lows.
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory records Great Lakes Water Levels
Great Lakes Now (USA) – a regional news and information hub greatlakesnow.org