Chicago, IL

Weather Forecast Office

Lake Michigan at Near-Record High Water Levels

Lake Michigan High Water Infographic

Summary

Lake Michigan water levels remain near the highest observed monthly levels (since at least 1918). The most recent period with similar lake levels was 1986-1987.
Elevated lake levels increase impacts along the shore during storm events. Even minor events on the lake may cause flooding of low-lying areas near the lake such as beaches, parks, and trails. Significant events (such as January 11, 2020) now have the potential to flood roadways and structures near the shore that are typically not at risk.
Lake levels are now high enough to impact more inland areas, such as protected harbors and overbank areas along some rivers.
Lake levels are tied to multiple factors such as precipitation, evaporation, and river flow. Lake Michigan water levels over the last decade have included both near record lows and near record highs.

Recent Observations

Chicago	Calumet Harbor	Indiana Harbor	Portage
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More water level information from water.weather.gov

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Forecasts

Flooding impacts along the immediate shore are typically closely tied to wave height. For more inland areas such as marinas, protected harbors, and the lower reaches of some rivers, the average lake level plus storm surge is important.

Waves

Illinois and Indiana Lakeshore Flooding Statements (if any are in effect)
NWS Great Lakes Marine Portal
Illinois and Indiana Nearshore Forecasts

Surge

Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System (GLCFS) (provided by GLERL)
Lake Michigan and Huron Operational Forecasting System (LMHOFS) (provided by NOS)

Lake Levels

Six-Month Forecast Bulletins (US Army Corps of Engineers)

Past Water Levels and Precipitation

Weekly Great Lakes Water Level Update (US Army Corps of Engineers)
M onthly mean lakewide average water levels (US Army Corps of Engineers)
Great Lakes Basin (U.S.) Precipitation Trends

Documented Impacts

Photos


Photos of Juneway Beach in Rogers Park, IL (Cook County, north side of Chicago) from David Seal on Oct 31, 2019


Photos of Whiting, IN from Jerry Robert Smith on Oct 31, 2019


Photos of Whiting, IN from Jerry Robert Smith on Nov 11, 2019


Webcam view of wave action during Nov 30, 2019	Lakefront Bike Path at Schiller looking South Nov 30, 2019	Lakefront Bike Path at Schiller looking North on Nov 30, 2019
Two right photos of Chicago, IL from Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications on Nov 30, 2019


Chicago, IL on Jan 11. Photo courtesy of Matt Zuro.	Near South Shore Drive in Chicago, IL on Jan 11. Photo courtesy of Bill Snyder.	Whihala Beach in Whiting, IN. Photo courtesy of Deb Mann.
Photos from January 11, 2020.

Videos

Video 1	Video 2
From Whiting Lakefront Park on November 11, 2019, courtesy of Jerry Robert Smith.

Satellite Imagery


North Avenue Beach


Oak Street Beach


Ohio Street Beach

Potential Inland Inundation

Lake Michigan Lake Level Viewer (NOAA Office for Coastal Management)
CAUTION: These maps do not take into account hydrologic connectivity. This means that areas may be depicted as flooding that are not connected to Lake Michigan. These maps are mostly helpful for determining locations below the lake level at a given elevation.

More Lake Michigan water level impacts can be found in our past news stories

Factors Affecting Lake Levels

Great Lakes water levels are based upon a combination of multiple factors, including precipitation, evaporation, river flow into the lakes, river flow out of the lakes, and other diversions. The primary driver of water levels are precipitation, evaporation, and river flow into the lakes, also referred to as "net basin supply." The long term trend for both precipitation and evaporation has been upward over the last several decades.

More information about factors affecting lake levels is available from the US Army Corps of Engineers.

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