The Great Lakes are a long way from drying up, but they've lost almost 30 trillion gallons of water. It's a situation that is creating better beaches as more shore becomes exposed, but has boats running aground and shipping companies losing money. More Homework Help Mild winters have robbed the lakes of water-replenishing snow.
Hotter summers mean more water is evaporating.
So with less water coming in and more water going out, the water levels on three of the five lakes could reach record lows this summer. The news from the National Weather Service offers little hope for improvement. The long-range forecast calls for a continuation of the trend of dry, mild winters in the region. Lakes Huron, Michigan and Erie have dropped 3.5 feet since 1997 and are on pace soon to reach historic low marks set in 1964. Climatologists blame the situation on a number of unusually warm years, a trend that shows no sign of letting up.