However, he said that he expects lake levels to rise because of heavy snowfall over Lake Superior, which drains into Lake Michigan. Great Lakes shippers were forced to end their season early this year because of low waters, but the harsh winter weather may help prevent the problem next year. Snow and ice are good news for Lake Erie, said Frank Quinn, a senior hydrologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor. And a cold, snowy winter in Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and western Ontario will help replenish Lake Superior, which is the largest of the Great Lakes, he said. It is at its lowest water level since the 1920s.
Warm temperatures aid evaporation and prevent snowfalls that feed water back into the lakes.
The company had to cut its freighters' loads by 10 percent this year because of low water levels. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Holland Sentinel, Wowcom.net, holland, sentinel, news, west michigan, michigan, tulips, classifieds, tourism, travel, dutch, reformed, Lake Michigan, newspaper. Welcome to The Holland Sentinel newspaper. Come on in to learn more about the many happenings in West Michigan as well as the great vacation areas and activities offered lakeside.