As if the floods that have hit eastern Canadian provinces were not bad enough, there is a new forecast that record high water levels are expected on several of the Great Lakes over the next six months. These massive, deep lakes are situated in the heart of North America and contain one-fifth of the world’s fresh water.
They are interconnected and flow through to the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lawrence River.
The Great Lakes make up the largest body of fresh water on earth and account for one-fifth of its fresh water. (iStock)
Continued threat of coastal flooding forecast
The forecast from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Canadian department called Environment and Climate Change Canada says “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.”
The high water levels are attributed to several months of wet weather including significant snowpack and “recent heavy rain events.”
Forecast water levels on Lakes Superior, St. Clair and Erie are all expected to break records set in the early 1950s and middle 1980s. And while new record highs are not predicted for Lakes Michigan, Huron and Ontario, “very high water levels are expected there as well,” says the statement.
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