If you’re planning on getting away from the summer heat this weekend by visiting one of the Great Lakes, you might want to consider buying a pool instead. Meteorologists say the Great Lakes are anything but cool right now.
“The recent hot temperatures and fairly light winds have sent the temperatures of the lakes soaring above normal,” a statement released by the National Weather Service reads. The shoreline temperature of Lake Michigan in Northern Michigan is in the lower 70s, while the near-shore temp in Chicago is nearly 80 degrees. Lake Superior is cooler, but not by much; it’s close to 70 degrees, the NWS reports. And the temperature of Lake Huron, Erie, and Ontario are all between 75 and 85, per the NWS.
July's warmer temperatures in the Great Lakes have scientists concerned about an early spawn of algal blooms and how the heated lakes could affect aquatic life. https://t.co/A7hbkERuTz
— The Detroit News (@detroitnews) July 16, 2020
The reason for the bathwater-like temps is an ice cover didn’t form over the lakes this past winter, leaving a layer of warm water at the surface, says Jia Wang, a climatologist at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. That layer prevented cooler water from rising to the surface, Wang says.
