Lake Michigan lake and shoreline

Lake Michigan Water Level

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Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is currently 0.2 feet above its long-term average, with a water-surface elevation of 579.3 feet.

579.25 ft · Updated 37 minutes ago · NOAA / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (coordinated network)

Current level

579.25ft

+0.18 ft vs long-term average

1.75 ft above chart datum (LWD)

Status unavailable

Vs long-term average

Since last reading

Up 0.04 ft

Previous readingOct 7578.98 ft

7-day change

Down 0.32 ft

7-day trend: Falling

8 daily readings in the last 7 days

30-day change

Down 0.33 ft

30 daily readings in the last 30 days

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Water Level History

Current
579.25 ft
24h
+0.04 ft
7d
-0.32 ft
30d
-0.33 ft

Elevation (ft) IGLD85 · MSL

Reference line shows the annual long-term average (IGLD 1985). Near-real-time level is a Cleveland + Toledo gauge average — lake-wide coordinated means can differ slightly.

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Lake Level Context

Level remains above the long-term average

Lake Michigan is currently 579.25 ft, 0.18 ft above its long-term average. The lake has fallen 0.32 ft over the past 7 days and 0.33 ft over the past 30 days.

Lake Michigan Level Details

Reference elevations, recent daily readings, data sources, and answers to common questions.

Conditions & Reference

Level status

+0.18 ft vs long-term average

Current level
579.25 ft
Long-term avg
579.07 ft
Chart datum (LWD)
577.5 ft
DatumVertical reference for published pool and stage elevations at this lake (from the lake catalog).
IGLD85
Elevation reference
MSL
Source
NOAA

Reference levels

No published reference elevations for this lake.

Surrounding county drought

Abnormally Dry

Dominant category Abnormally Dry (D0); not counted as official drought.

Severity

NoneExtreme
Trend
Stable

Surrounding county drought

Mason County, MI

Abnormally Dry

Abnormally Dry. The largest share of Mason County, MI is Abnormally Dry (D0), which the U.S. Drought Monitor does not count as official drought. These figures describe the surrounding county from the lake location, not the lake itself.. Trend: Stable compared with last week. Official drought (D1–D4) no

Severity

NoneExtreme

Weekly trend

Stable

Compared with last week

Official drought (D1–D4)

No

Abnormally Dry (D0) is present in the surrounding county, but D0 is not counted as official drought (D1–D4).

U.S. Drought Monitor · map date Oct 6, 2026. Updated weekly. Official drought means U.S. Drought Monitor categories D1–D4 (Moderate through Exceptional). Abnormally Dry (D0) is not counted as official drought. droughtmonitor.unl.eduView drought map for Mason County, MI

Daily level summary

DateLevelChange
Oct 8, 2026579.02+0.04
Oct 7, 2026578.98-0.07
Oct 6, 2026579.050
Oct 5, 2026579.05-0.03
Oct 4, 2026579.08-0.1
Oct 3, 2026579.18-0.07
Oct 2, 2026579.25-0.09

Common questions about Lake Michigan’s water level

  • The current water level at Lake Michigan is 579.25 ft (updated 37 minutes ago). You can track the Lake Michigan lake level on the interactive chart and daily history above.

  • The current 7-day trend for the Lake Michigan lake level is falling — falling about 0.32 ft over the past week. See the history chart above for the full picture.

  • Based on the latest reading, Lake Michigan is currently 0.18 ft above long-term average elevation on Lake Insights.

  • Readings refresh when NOAA / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (coordinated network) publishes new gauge data — typically daily for most reservoirs. The timestamp above the chart shows when the latest observation arrived on Lake Insights.

Lake level glossary

Definitions for pool targets, datums, and how elevation readings are labeled.

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