lake michigan water temperatures by month lake michigan water temperatures by month

Home The water heats up and the activity of fish increases. The lake is flanked by multiple long bays, including Green Bay in the northwest, and Grand Traverse and Little Traverse bays in the northeast. February is the coolest with 25.3F / -3.7C average air temperature. Minimum water temperature in Lake Michigan in August is 60F, maximum - 77F. 1, The graph below shows the range of monthly Lake Michigan water temperature derived from many years of historical sea surface temperature data. Play Time for Kids, Weather Safety You are not limited to certain recreational activities and you are free to experience all that this beautiful place has to offer. google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawChart); ['July', However, Lake Michigan fishing in the morning is not productive during the cold months. Elevated lake levels increase impacts along the shore during storm events. The bar chart below shows the average monthly sea temperatures at Lake Michigan over the year. (overcast clouds) Wind. [30] As with the high-water records, monthly low-water records were set each month from February 1964 through January 1965. 68.4, Lake Huron average water temperature this. Summary. 0: { color: '#FF6347', targetAxisIndex:0 }, 36.3, Time of day and wind direction may have a temporary local effect as can water flows from neraby rivers. [Waukegan] Ocean Color Whihala Beach in Whiting, IN. Steel mills and refineries operate near the Indiana shoreline. Get Five Decades Of Great Lakes Ice Cover Data. temperature is around 72.5F / 22.5C, August is the month with the highest temperature. During the summer, water warms and stratifies, or separates into layers warmer, lighter water on top, and colder, heavier water on the bottom. In 1673, Jacques Marquette, Louis Jolliet and their crew of five Mtis voyageurs followed Lake Michigan to Green Bay and up the Fox River, nearly to its headwaters, in their search for the Mississippi River. Water cools down and thats why fish bite well during the morning hours in summer. Some beaches have sand dunes covered in green beach grass and sand cherries, and the water is usually clear and cool, between 55 and 80F (13 and 27C),[38] even in the late summer months. However, because prevailing westerly winds tend to move the surface water toward the east, there is a flow of warmer water to the Michigan shore in the summer. Great Lakes passenger steamers have been operating since the mid-19th century. Michigan. [24], The sand dunes located on the east shore of Lake Michigan are the largest freshwater dune system in the world. But hardened people can afford to be in such water for 5-10 minutes. The total amount of shipping on the lakes has been on a downward trend for several years. [12], Some of the most studied early human inhabitants of the Lake Michigan region were the Hopewell Native Americans. [South Haven] October was the hottest on record in a number of areas. Since then, I've lived across the country and have really taken that passion for fishing to a new level. A lot of anglers choose to fish in the lake in the morning during the summer months. St. Clair. [23], The Milwaukee Reef, running under Lake Michigan from a point between Milwaukee and Racine to a point between Grand Haven and Muskegon, divides the lake into northern and southern basins. Average monthly sea temperatures in Lake Michigan Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec C: 3.4: 2.7: 2.7: 3.4: 4.7: 11.3: 19.6: 21.4: 19.3: Chicago, IL333 West University DriveRomeoville, IL 60446815-834-1435 8am-8pmComments? Skywarn When algae die it floats to the surface and acts like a sponge, capturing E.coli and fecal runoff from farm fields sprayed with animal waste and overflow septic systems. In addition of the water temperature, also shown air temperature, weather conditions and the wave heights on the coast. More information about factors affecting lake levels is available from the US Army Corps of Engineers. The National Weather Service in Duluth Minnesota noted that due to a warmer Lake Superior the lake is definitely primed for a good lake effect snow set up. Lake Michigan beaches in Northern Michigan are the only place in the world, aside from a few inland lakes in that region, where Petoskey stones, the Michigan state stone, can be found.[39]. series: { 71.8, Even minor events on the lake may cause flooding of low-lying areas near the lake such as beaches . Global Land One-kilometer Base Elevation (GLOBE) v.1. Tourism and recreation are major industries on all of the Great Lakes. Anglers can catch brown trout, lake trout, yellow perch, walleye, and coho salmon during this time of the year. 0.6, Anglers receive meals and drinks during full-day fishing trips as well. 0.3], For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish Lake Superior, please check out this helpful guide. Monthly Lake Michigan water temperature chart. [15], Lake Michigan is joined via the narrow, open-water Straits of Mackinac with Lake Huron, and the combined body of water is sometimes called MichiganHuron (also HuronMichigan). The warmest water temperature in Lake Michigan today is 37.4F (Benton Harbor), and the coldest temperature is 32.4F (Sturgeon Bay). The warmest water temperature is in August with an average around 70.5F / 21.4C. Holiday Climate Data [20] In 2007, a row of stones paralleling an ancient shoreline was discovered by Mark Holley, professor of underwater archeology at Northwestern Michigan College. Lake Michigan water temperature right now Below are the cities and resorts in Lake Michigan with the values of water temperature today and yesterday. ['August', Also, its possible to fish for steelhead at this time of the year. Accessed: 4/12/2022. Lake Michigan is one of the largest lakes in North America and is home to some of the best trout and salmon fishing in the country. Climate Plots, Education In this capacity, the Great Lakes CoastWatch program obtains, produces, and delivers environmental data and products for near real-time monitoring of the Great Lakes to support . Many other water sports are practiced on the lakes, such as yachting, sea kayaking, diving, kitesurfing and lake surfing. Elevated lake levels increase impacts along the shore during storm events. Yellow perch is the main target on Lake Michigan during the winter months. Lake Michigan located in the northern hemisphere, at latitude 43 degrees. Lake Superior is one of the fastest-warming bodies of water on the planet. Anglers spend a whole day on fishing and have a good chance to catch a trophy. Winter Weather Preparedness 1: { color: '#FFCC66', targetAxisIndex:0, lineWidth: 8 }, In any case, the general weather is also important. To find out the sea temperature today and in the coming days, go to Current sea temperature in Lake Michigan. Fish starts feeding actively at the beginning of the month. [17] French coureurs des bois and voyageurs established small ports and trading communities, such as Green Bay, on the lake during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. To find out the sea temperature today . 3: { color: '#FF6347', targetAxisIndex:1, lineWidth: 0 }, [Manistee] August is the month with the highest water temperature at 77.9F / 25.5C. Lake Michigan now averages 74 degrees on the surface, which is 11 degrees warmer than the historical average water temperature on this date. 2.7, 44.6, The region is often referred to as the "Third Coast"[37] of the United States, after those of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. 52.2, Weather Event Write-Ups Some downstream winds cause cold, deep waters to replace surface waters that have been warmed by the sun. The Chicago city waterfront has been developed for parks, beaches, harbors and marinas, and residential developments connected by the Chicago Lakefront Trail. Grand Traverse Bay in its northeast is another large bay. The lakes were frozen 11 days later and thawed seven days sooner. Questions? 17.7], Text Products [26] Lake Michigan has a surface area of 22,404sqmi (58,030km2); (13,237 square miles (34,280km2) lying in Michigan,[6] 7,358 square miles (19,060km2) in Wisconsin, 234 square miles (610km2) in Indiana, & 1,576 square miles (4,080km2) in Illinois) making it the largest lake entirely within one country by surface area (Lake Baikal in Russia is larger by water volume) and the fifth-largest lake in the world. Vertical Water Temperature in Southern Lake Michigan One offshore point's top-to-bottom temperature, nearly every month for the last 26 years Since 1990, GLERL scientists have been keeping track of the temperature in the middle of southern Lake Michigan. title: 'Water Temperature Graph: Lake Michigan', For more detailed information about water temperature, surf forecast, weather and time of sunrise and sunset in any specific area of your interest, just click on a city name. A lot of steelhead can be found in the rivers around the lake. Frankfort, Platte Bay, and Grand Haven are good fishing spots to target Lake Michigan in the fall. The southern tip of the lake near Gary, Indiana, is heavily industrialized. Is Lake Michigan too cold to swim in summer? Air temperatures in Michigan vary from 18F to 34F during the winter months. 2.4, The water heats up in the afternoon during cold months. The bar chart below shows the average monthly sea temperatures at Lake Michigan over the year. In general, this water temperature is unacceptable for swimming. [42], Sports fishing includes salmon, whitefish, smelt, lake trout and walleye as major catches. [Sturgeon Bay], Select a label to view regional or port area surface temperature map, A lot of anglers choose to fish Lake Michigan early in the morning. Anglers can fish for brown trout and lake trout as well as Coho salmon and Chinook salmon in May. Smallmouth bass fishing in Lake Michigan starts in May and continues until the middle of November. Their culture declined after 800 AD and for the next few hundred years, the region was the home of peoples known as the Late Woodland Native Americans. google.charts.load('current', {packages:['corechart']}); A large dune formation can be found in Whitefish Dunes State Park in Wisconsin in the Door Peninsula. Lake Michigan's deepest region, which lies in its northern half, is called Chippewa Basin (named after prehistoric Lake Chippewa) and is separated from South Chippewa Basin by a relatively shallower area called the Mid Lake Plateau.[28][29]. . National Weather Service 0.7, The biggest surprise is Lake Superior with water temps near 70F along the western shore near Duluth, Ashland, and Ontonagon. [30] The monthly average high-water records were broken for several months in a row in 2020. The measurements for the water temperature in Lake Michigan, Michigan are provided by the daily satellite readings provided by the NOAA. format: '#C'}, FreshwaterFishingAdvice is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. [Central Northern Region] 25.2, Water temperature range in Lake Michigan in March is from 28 to 42 degrees. All NOAA, More water level information from water.weather.gov. This program was so successful that the introduced population of trout and salmon exploded, resulting in the creation of a large sport fishery for these introduced species. Green Bay in the northwest is its largest bay. When the lake freezes, its time to target yellow perch. Discover the best time of day to catch bass, trout, catfish, panfish, walleye, carp, and many more depending on the season, moon phases, and weather. For ease of search, all places are also grouped by the first letter of the name. Beach Hazards Awareness There are numerous state and local parks located on the shores of the lake or on islands within the lake: Big Sable Point, Michigan in Ludington State Park, Lake view from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, with people climbing uphill, Eichelman Park in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with Lake Michigan in the background, Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline from Portage, Indiana.