Lake Superior at second-highest January level
Jan 06, 2018 07:20AM ● By Editor
By John Myers of The Duluth News Tribune - Saturday, January 6, 2018
Lake Superior dropped only an inch in December, a month the big lake’s level usually drops 3 inches, the International Lake Superior Board of Control reported Friday.
The lake now sits 13 inches above average for Jan. 1 and 8 inches above the Jan. 1, 2017 level.
It’s the second-highest Jan. 1 level since accurate records have been kept.
The smaller-than-usual decline is attributed to higher-than-normal precipitation across the region and more water coming out of rivers into the lake. Superior likely will drop until April and then begin its seasonal rise to September, when all-time record levels are possible if the region’s spring or summer is wet.
The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron fell 4 inches in December, when it usually drops just 2 inches, thanks to lower-than-normal precipitation. The two lakes now sit 17 inches above normal and 10 inches higher than Jan. 1, 2017.
