Michigan temperatures have been brutal this week as a summer heat wave baking the state and region creates a great reason to dive in Michigan’s inland lakes and Great Lakes.
All of the Great Lakes and Michigan’s inland lakes are seeing warmer temperatures as we reach the peak of summer, making it warm enough for a beach day this weekend.
Lake Erie, as is typical, is the warmest of the Great Lakes with temperature in the 70s to 80s. Lake Superior temperatures range from mid 50s to mid 60s in some bays.
Most of Michigan major inland lakes also are seeing temperatures in the 70s this weekend.
Temperatures for the Great Lakes typically don’t peak until late summer/early fall, according to GLISA, and swimming in waters at 70 degrees is the most comfortable conditions.
For a potential beach day this weekend, here are temperatures for Michigan’s lakes as of Friday, July 24.
Which inland lakes in Michigan are warmest?
According to Seatemperatures, here are the current temperatures for some of Michigan’s most popular inland lakes:
How warm is Lake Erie?
Lake Erie, the shallowest of the Great Lakes, reached 78.4 degrees near Monroe.
Lake Erie reaches an average of 76.1 degrees Fahrenheit in August.
Current temperatures for Lake Erie:
What’s the temperature of Lake Huron?
The warmest water temperature out in Lake Huron was 75.2 degrees in Sebewaing, Michigan.
Lake Huron reaches an average of 69.1 degrees Fahrenheit in August.
Current temperatures near Michigan cities on Lake Huron:
“The lake measures 206 miles across and 183 miles north to south, with an average depth of 195 feet (approximately 750 feet, maximum),” according to the Great Lakes Commission.
What’s the temperature of Lake Ontario?
The warmest water temperature in Lake Ontario on was 74.7 degrees near Oswego.
Lake Ontario reaches an average of 72.9 degrees Fahrenheit in August.
Current temperatures for Lake Ontario:
“Lake Ontario is similar to Lake Erie in length and breadth (193 miles by 53 miles). Yet with its greater average depth (approximately 283 feet), Lake Ontario holds almost four times the volume and has a retention time of about 6 years,” according to the Great Lakes Commission.
What’s the temperature of Lake Michigan?
Lake Michigan’s average temperature was 76.3 degrees near Warren Dunes.
Lake Michigan reaches an average of 68 degrees Fahrenheit in August.
Recorded temperatures near Michigan cities on Lake Michigan:
“Averaging 279 feet in depth, the lake reaches 925 feet at its deepest point,” according to the Great Lakes Commission.
What’s the temperature of Lake Superior?
Lake Superior’s warmest water temperature was of 66.2 degrees at Paradise.
Lake Superior reaches an average of 64.6 degrees Fahrenheit in August.
Current temperatures for Michigan towns on Lake Superior:
“With an average depth approaching 500 feet, Superior also is the coldest and deepest (1,332 feet) of the Great Lakes. The lake stretches approximately 350 miles from west to east, and 160 miles north to south, with a shoreline almost 2,800 miles long,” according to the Great Lakes Commission.
When are the Great Lakes warmest?
Temperatures climb in the spring and summer months, reaching peak temperatures in the late summer and early fall, according to GLISA, a collaborative between Michigan State University, University of Michigan and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: It’s peak summer season in Michigan. Where to find the warmest lakes to swim
Reporting by Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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