The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicts the Great Lakes will hold their higher-than-average levels through the summer and into the early fall.
The latest monthly prediction says the above average rain and very wet conditions in April and May pushed all the lakes higher than originally forecast. The six month water level forecast has been changed, reflecting higher forecast peaks this sumer.
The International Joint Commission regulators continue releasing the maximum amount of water they can down the St. Lawrence River without flooding downstream communities. But Lake Ontario currently stands at 248 feet, 9 ¼ inch. That’s down just two and ¾ inches from the record high posted a month ago. The Corps expects near-record high levels to persist through June before the lake finally begins its seasonal decline.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has a Lakeshore Flood Watch beginning late tonight for Wayne, Monroe, Orleans and Niagara Counties. Strong Northeast winds are predicted to send the waves rolling ashore again. The watch runs through late tomorrow afternoon.
Here’s what the last one looked like: