Low Snow Affects Great Lake Levels

There is so little snow around the Lake Superior basin that the Great Lakes may fall to their lowest levels on record this summer, a federal survey by the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center has found. The center is a branch of the National Weather Service. About 40% of Lake Superior’s annual water supply comes from the snowpack around its watershed. And lakes Michigan and Huron get up to 30% of their yearly supply from water flowing down from Superior. Lake Superior’s shoreline in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin normally would be covered with deep snow holding up to a foot of water. The weather service has forecast precipitation near or below average during the next 90 days for most of Michigan.