Lakes Erie, Superior Set Records As Water Levels Surge

Wet spring weather has pushed Lake Erie’s water level to its highest point ever recorded.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday the shallowest of the Great Lakes hit the milestone in May, surpassing the previous peak set in 1986.

Lake Superior also reached its highest known level for the month of May, although it has been even higher at other times of year.

The Corps began measuring Great Lakes levels in 1918.

Chief watershed hydrologist Keith Kompoltowicz of the Corps district office in Detroit said precipitation in the region last month was 21 percent above normal.

He said Lakes Huron, Michigan and Ontario might also set records this summer.

The Corps said flooding and coastal erosion threats will continue along Great Lakes coasts, especially during storms.