DETROIT (WWJ) - Water levels in the Great Lakes could shatter some long-standing records this year.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says forecasted water levels on Lake Superior, Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair are all expected to break records set in the early 1950s and middle 1980s because of heavy rainfall. While new record highs are not currently forecasted for Lake Michigan, Lake Huron or Lake Ontario -- very high water levels are expected there as well.
"Several months of wet weather, including a significant snowpack across the northern Great Lakes basin and recent heavy rain events have pushed water levels higher than originally forecasted," Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of watershed hydrology at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said in a statement.
All of the lakes are above their level a year ago, according to the Corps. Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie are also beginning the month above their respective record high monthly average water levels for May.
As water levels rise, the Great Lakes region will continue to see the threat of coastal flooding and shoreline erosion, especially during storm events. Localized water levels are often impacted by winds and can be significantly higher during storms.
Water levels and flow rates in the connecting channels of the Great Lakes are also high and may, depending on winds and other atmospheric conditions, lead to localized flooding.