Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Superior have all hit record water levels.
In a news release issued on Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, (USACE) Detroit District said, based on preliminary data, new record high monthly mean water levels were set on Lakes Erie, St. Clair and Superior in the month of May.
USACE added that record high water levels are possible on all the Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair this summer.
The engineers said persistent wet conditions across the Great Lakes basin this spring has fueled the recent rises. The data showed that precipitation in May was 21 per cent higher than average over the Great Lakes basin as a whole, and added to extremely high water supplies to the lakes.
The report also showed that the new record lake levels last month are between one and three inches higher than the previous records for the month set in 1986.
"As we expected, record highs were set in May on a few of our Great Lakes, and our June forecast shows additional record highs likely this summer," said Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of Watershed Hydrology, Detroit District.
USACE said the Great Lakes region will continue to see the threat of coastal flooding and shoreline erosion, especially during storm events because strong winds can drive water levels significantly higher during storms.
The USACE added that 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.
