Average Temperature in Lake Michigan Beach The warm season lasts for 3.7 months, from May 29 to September 19, with an average daily high temperature above 71F. NOAAs surface water temperature forecasts show the entire southern Lake Huron basin hovering around the upper 70s. However, anglers cant spend too much time fishing if they choose to start their adventures in the afternoon. The Great Lakes are collectively administered by the Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, intergovernmental organization led by the governing chief executives of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Qubec, and by the governors of the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Want to Know the Best Time of Day to Fish? Once you arrive here, you will find that there is no shortage of activities or entertainment. January: Steelhead is preparing for spawning season after the fall run in January. It was originally home to lake whitefish, lake trout, yellow perch, panfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and bowfin, as well as some species of catfish. Seasonal Guide: Best Times to Catch Big Bass. 59, 33.3, The volume rarely fell below 50% after the Civil War even with the major expansion of railroad shipping. In 2002, 162million net tons of dry bulk cargo were moved via the Lakes. Lake Michigan is home to a small variety of fish species and other organisms. Great Lakes CoastWatch is a nationwide National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) program within which the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) functions as the Great Lakes regional node. 68.4, The month with the lowest is March with an average water temperature of 32.9F / 0.5C. [14] During the 1640s and 1650s, the Beaver Wars over the fur trade with the European colonies, initiated by the Iroquois, forced a massive demographic shift as their western neighbors fled the violence. Steelhead run begins after the salmon run. The Erie Canal connects to the Great Lakes at the east end of Lake Erie (at Buffalo, New York) and at the south side of Lake Ontario (at Oswego, New York). Weather Safety (Spanish) The lakes were 29in (0.74m) below their long-term average and had declined 17 inches since January 2012. However, several introduced invasive species, such as lampreys, round goby, zebra mussels and quagga mussels, continue to cause major changes in water clarity and fertility, resulting in knock-on changes to Lake Michigan's ecosystem, threatening the vitality of native fish populations. Your modes of transport to Lake Michigan are not limited and its left to your discretion. In-Situ Here, you will find yourself walking on the singing sands of the shore or feasting your eyes on the beautiful blue waters of the lake. 22.1], Frankfort, Platte Bay, and Grand Haven are good fishing spots to target Lake Michigan in the fall. Area temps along the Lake Huron shore can typically be around 10 degrees cooler than inland. 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]. Fall steelhead are well-known for their aggressive bites. [13] In the earliest European maps of the region, the name of Lake Illinois has been found in addition to that of "Michigan", named for the Illinois Confederation of tribes. The warmest water temperature in Lake Michigan today is 37.2F (Manistee), and the coldest temperature is 32.2F (Escanaba). 11.2, Rich, Burr Ridge Morning fishing is not suitable for anglers, who want to wake up early. Fish starts feeding actively at the beginning of the month. [42], Sports fishing includes salmon, whitefish, smelt, lake trout and walleye as major catches. Current water temperature in Grand Traverse Bay. Milwaukee October 30, 2022. Lightning The Chicago Tribune reported that BP is a major polluter, dumping thousands of pounds of raw sludge into the lake every day from its Whiting, Indiana, oil refinery. 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 . Sharma co-authored a startling article entitled Forecasting the Permanent Loss of Lake Ice in the Northern Hemisphere Within the 21st Century. So, anglers should go fishing at sunrise or at sunset. 70.3, [Northern Region] All that warm water is potential energy for precipitation production. The warmest water temperature in Michigan today is 41.5F (Sault Sainte Marie), and the coldest temperature is 32F (Lexington). The season to fish for smallmouth bass is high between early May and July. google.charts.load('current', {packages:['corechart']}); Even minor events on the lake may cause flooding of low-lying areas near the lake such as beaches . At the start of the year, only 3% of the Great Lakes were covered in . The graph below shows the range of monthly Lake Michigan water temperature derived from many years of historical sea surface temperature data. Winter steelhead bites well in the lake from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. February: Its possible to fish for rainbow trout and brown trout in the late winter. 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: [Central Southern Region] 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. Also indicated are the maximum and minimum temperatures in July for these locations based on observations over the past 10 years. It started in 2009 as a fun-loving site covering Michigan's Upper Thumb. 20.2, 0.7, Grand Traverse Bay in its northeast is another large bay. Lake levels are tied to multiple factors such as precipitation, evaporation, and river flow. [43], Like all of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan is today used as a major mode of transport for bulk goods. Best Water Temperatures for Perch Fishing (Complete Guide). September: Its possible to catch a trophy Chinook salmon in September. Yellow perch is the main target on Lake Michigan during the winter months. Afrikaans; ; ; Asturianu; Azrbaycanca; ; Bn-lm-g; ; ; ; Bosanski If the warm temperatures continue to rise the surface temps of the Great Lakes its possible that more lake effect snow may occur, particularly in Michigans Upper Thumb. To find out the sea temperature today and in the coming days, go to Current sea temperature in Lake Michigan. Salmon continues to bite until the late summer. var chart_waterF = document.getElementById('chart_waterF'); Steel mills and refineries operate near the Indiana shoreline. Lake Michigan water levels remain near the highest observed monthly levels (since at least 1918). Great Lakes Basin (U.S.) Precipitation Trends, Photos of Whiting, IN from Jerry Robert Smith on Nov 11, 2019, Two right photos of Chicago, IL from Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications on Nov 30, 2019. [Sheboygan] The sun's rays warm the water closest to the lake's surface while the deeper water remains . Rip Currents This makes for pleasant swimming but curbs its temperature moderation along the shore. Click and drag to zoom in on the chart, and hover to see point values. 0: { color: '#FF6347', targetAxisIndex:0 }, A lot of steelhead can be found in the rivers around the lake. Based on average water temperature observations over the past ten years, the warmest water temperature in Lake Michigan in August was 73.4F (in Michigan City), and the coldest 67.1F . Located on the southern side of the straits is the town of Mackinaw City, Michigan, the site of Fort Michilimackinac, a reconstructed French fort founded in 1715, and on the northern side is St. Ignace, Michigan, site of a French Catholic mission to the Indians, founded in 1671. the shaded band shows the range of monthly average water levels, and the line in the middle shows the March: Steelhead spawning run starts in March. You can travel to the Lake Michigan area by plane, train, car or boat. Oftentimes, largemouth bass bites well on Indianas shoreline and near rocky areas. The record-warm water temperatures across the Great Lakes fall into a global pattern of warming lakes, which are being propelled upward as human-caused climate change pushes air temperatures to record highs. The water will feel freezing / baltic. The record surface temps will undoubtedly impact that moderating effect. These include brown trout, smallmouth bass, brown trout as well as salmon species. The long term trend for both precipitation and evaporation has been upward over the last several decades. Salmon bites well after sunrise and before sunset. Air temperatures in Michigan vary from 58F to 82F during the summer months. Lowest - in Kotzebue, there water temperature now 28F. Minimum water temperature (34F) in Lake Michigan it happens in March, maximum (73F) in July. FreshwaterFishingAdvice is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. It makes sense to fish in Muskegon Lake port. In addition of the water temperature, also shown air temperature, weather conditions and the wave heights on the coast. This was, in order of volume: iron ore, grain and potash. Lake levels are now high enough to impact more inland areas, such as protected harbors and overbank areas along some rivers. This is Lawrence J Timmerman (MWC) airport. Global Land One-kilometer Base Elevation (GLOBE) v.1. Local anglers can catch a variety of fish species in the lake during the fall months. The normal high-water mark is 2.00 feet (0.61m) above datum (577.5ft (176.0m)). 4: { color: '#FFCC66', targetAxisIndex:1, lineWidth: 0 }, See our affiliate disclosure for details. Lake Superior is one of the fastest-warming bodies of water on the planet. 64.2, [St.Joseph] Recent increases in water temperature have mostly been driven by warming during the spring and summer months (see Figure 2). }, This is noticeable after heavy rain or after prolonged periods of strong winds. A lot of salmon can be found in the lakes harbors and in the Muskegon River. Lake Michigan water temperatures in spring vary from 44F to 69F. The most recent period with similar lake levels was1986-1987. Parts of the shoreline are within the Hiawatha National Forest and the Manistee National Forest. 1C / 34F. 22, Currently, two car ferry services traverse Lake Michigan from around April to November: the SS Badger, a steamer from Ludington, Michigan, to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and the Lake Express, a high speed catamaran from Milwaukee to Muskegon, Michigan. A few small cruise ships operate on Lake Michigan, including a couple of sailing ships. February is the coolest with 25.3F / -3.7C average temperature. Since then, I've lived across the country and have continued learning about fishing. to as low as $0.40/lb during periods of high production. 14.9, For ease of search, all places are also grouped by the first letter of the name. [ Northern Region] [ Central Northern Region] [ Central Region] [ Central Southern Region] [ Southern Region] Lake Michigan Port Images. I grew up fishing for anything that swims but really loved fishing for trout, chain pickerel, bass, and bullheads in my teenage years. The biggest surprise is Lake Superior with water temps near 70F along the western shore near Duluth, Ashland, and Ontonagon. Lake Michigan water temperatures in winter vary from 31F to 38F. According to our forecast, the water temperature in Lake Michigan will slowly rise for at least the next 10 days and reach a value of 37F.
