Lake Erie water levels begin slow seasonal descent; still well above average

Lake Erie’s water level is showing its typical seasonal drop though it remains near the record highs seen 32 years ago.

The Ohio Division of Geological Survey’s monthly water inventory report for July – the latest month available – says Lake Erie’s water level “declined in July” and was a minuscule 0.23 feet lower than in June.

Even so, the lake’s water level is still 1.64 feet above the long-term average and 4.36 feet above the so-called “low water datum.” It is also only inches from tying the high water levels seen in 1986 and early 1987.

Lake Erie likewise is 0.04 feet higher than it was in July, 2017, the Geological Survey Division’s hydrologist Scott C. Kirk said in the latest water inventory report.

In favor of a continued seasonal decline is that the Survey notes how both the Lake Erie and Great Lakes watershed basins saw below average precipitation during July. Traditionally, Lake Erie’s water level peaks during June, July and August once Upper Great Lakes’ snow melt arrives, and falls during the winter. These water levels begin to climb again by April.

Not that Lake Erie anglers and boaters have begun noticing much difference in water level changes, however.

“It’s been high all year,” said John Windau of Upper Sandusky and a frequent Lake Erie perch and walleye angler. “But I really haven’t noticed much difference, but then I haven’t been out as much lately, either.”

Yet Lake Erie anglers like Windau can anticipate excessively high water levels “for the foreseeable future,” said the Geological Survey Division and quoting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“Deviations from the anticipated weather patterns could result in the level of Lake Erie ranging from four inches to as much as 25 inches above the normal seasonal average,” says the Geological Survey Division’s report for July.

The monthly report also says that while precipitation was below normal for July throughout most of the state, the to-date precipitation totals for 2018 is above normal almost everywhere. This surplus – again, as of July – ranged from 1.26 in the Southeast Region to 9.63 inches in the Northwest Region. Ohio is broken down into 10 meteorological regions for the purpose of rainfall and other other scientific data collection purposes.

- By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net