Lake Michigan Water Temp Site

[ScottM]

This is a 'cool' website, http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/twomichigans.html

Apache Bob sent it to me but I thought I would post it here as several members do fly over Lake Michigan a lot. This will give you the surface water temps and you can zoom into some of the areas for a more detailed looksee!

 

[tonycondon]

damn thats cold

 

[NC Pilot]

damn thats cold

Not as cold as Superior:

http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/superior/s.html

 

[gprellwitz]

It looks like places on the edge of "cloudy" regions are reported as between 32 and 34 degrees. With the rest of the lake in the 40 - 70 range, I think that that data is suspect. I didn't see any statement about data validity, other than the notice that one of the satellites had been giving faulty readings. Anyone have experience using these?

 

[miker]

You can use this site also to see what the buoy info is.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/rmd.shtml

 

[gprellwitz]

You can use this site also to see what the buoy info is.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/rmd.shtml

Wow, those things aren't small. The one in southern Lake Michigan is 3 meters in diameter and 5 meters tall!

And, since it's showing a water temp in the upper 60's, I totally do not believe the coastwatch site reports of temperatures in the lower thirties less than 25 miles away.

 

[ScottM]

Wow, those things aren't small. The one in southern Lake Michigan is 3 meters in diameter and 5 meters tall!

And, since it's showing a water temp in the upper 60's, I totally do not believe the coastwatch site reports of temperatures in the lower thirties less than 25 miles away.

Those reports are on the edges of cloud cover. I would expect that the data the satellite is getting is more related to the temp at the top of the clouds. for those areas.

 

[gprellwitz]

Those reports are on the edges of cloud cover. I would expect that the data the satellite is getting is more related to the temp at the top of the clouds. for those areas.

Yeah, I noted that it was near clouds that the temperatures were skewed. You'd think that they would make a prominent note of that on the chart!

 

[ScottM]

Yeah, I noted that it was near clouds that the temperatures were skewed. You'd think that they would make a prominent note of that on the chart!

I would think that the big black spot would be warning enough

here is a close up of that spot from a couple of days ago
http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/michigan/m5.html

temps are in the 60's

 

[jdwatson]

Those of us who scuba dive in the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" monitor the following link:

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/maps/Southeast.shtml

This time of year, the gulf stream comes close (aka 30nm) to shore. Some of the best diving is only 2hrs away.

 

[gismo]

It looks like places on the edge of "cloudy" regions are reported as between 32 and 34 degrees. With the rest of the lake in the 40 - 70 range, I think that that data is suspect. I didn't see any statement about data validity, other than the notice that one of the satellites had been giving faulty readings. Anyone have experience using these?

32-34 seems out of whack, but I do know from personal experience that all it takes is a little wind to mix the water and drop the surface temp by 20 degrees F on either Superior or Lake Michigan. I can remember swimming in Superior one day in August with the water a fairly comfortable (for Superior) 70 degrees and jumping in the next morning off the boat into 52 degree water at the same location (didn't stay in very long).

 

[Dave2]

Not as cold as Superior:

http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/superior/s.html

Looks like you might still be able to ice skate on part os it