Lake Superior's water level drops

The Marguette Mining Journal has this article on current lake levels for Lake Superior and the effects on shipping:

Lake Superior’s water level is down, but not as much as forecasters had expected. Superior is down to 600.9 feet above sea level, below the 601.3 foot target level set by the Army Corps of Engineers.

According to National Weather Service forecaster Andrew Just, the biggest factor in low lake levels was the lack of ice cover over the winter. Lack of ice promotes evaporation and increases lake effect snow. Much of this winter’s evaporated lake water appears to have fallen as snow within the Superior watershed, though, meaning much of that water may find its way back into the lake, Just said.

According to NWS surveys, the Huron Mountains region still has between 40 and 50 inches of snowpack. The Keweenaw has between 35 and 42 inches of snow, while open areas along the lake near Marquette and Baraga have only 5-10 inches of snow.

The lack of ice on Lake Superior hasn’t gone unnoticed by Great Lakes freighter captains, who started running their boats earlier than normal this year. In fact, in the 25 years Capt. John Carlson has been sailing the Great Lakes, he said he doesn’t remember a winter when lake ice was so scarce.