====== The Great Lakes ====== This page is intended to centralize **conditions** and **resource** links about the Great Lakes rather than repeating the same info in multiple places which is a prescription for getting information out of sync. Individual run descriptions will still be found on the location pages that are home to those runs. Currently [[:lake_superior|]] (as of 2024) is our only "Great" lake with its own dedicated page. That will likely change as we get more information about paddling on the other lakes. ---- ===== Conditions ===== \\ \\ From [[:great_lakes_winds|Great Lakes Wind and Waves]] (article about wind sports on the Great Lakes) "Great Lake wave riding is an extreme sport largely due to the extreme elements involved. The stronger the winds, the larger the waves. Our strongest winds are usually during late fall cold fronts where water temperature plummets into the low 50s or high 40s (Ed. //The water can get colder than that//). Wind chill is also an extreme danger. If you can imagine an epic outer reef swell in Maui, now try to imagine kiting in the middle of the ocean storm that generated those waves and you will be one step closer to understanding our waves."\\ ---- ==== Region wide ==== * **Current Data** * [[https://www.glerl.noaa.gov/emf/waves/WW3/|Great Lakes WaveWatch III Forecast (experimental)]] * [[https://www.weather.gov/greatlakes/|Great Lakes Weather Portal]] (Waves, Wind, Gusts, Temp) * [[https://surfradar.info/|Great Lakes Surf Radar]] * [[https://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/wtemp.html|Additional NOAA Weather Links]] * [[https://seagull.glos.org/map?coords=-83.0891291,44.4839382,5.1|Seagull Great Lakes Buoys]] * **Understanding & Background** * [[:explain_great_lakes_winds|Understanding Great Lakes Winds]] * [[:great_lakes_winds|Great Lakes Wind and Waves]] * [[https://www.nps.gov/articles/coastal-geohazards-seiches.htm|Seiches]] * [[https://youtu.be/SG87jD8fsm4|The Three Sisters (Mythology Story)]] * … ---- ==== Lake Erie ==== * **Buoys** * [[https://seagull.glos.org/landing|Seagull Great Lakes Buoys]] * **Water Temperatures** * [[https://apps.glerl.noaa.gov/coastwatch/webdata/statistic/pdf/avgtemps-e_1995-2023.pdf|Historic Averages]] * [[https://youtu.be/HE9C5I2S1ik|Does it Get Windy]] * [[https://www.weather.gov/marine/clemz|Lake Erie Shoreline Zone Forecasts]] * [[https://www.buoyweather.com/map/lake-erie|Buoyweather]] * … ---- ==== Lake Huron ==== * **Buoys** * [[https://seagull.glos.org/landing|Seagull Great Lakes Buoys]] * **Water Temperatures** * [[https://apps.glerl.noaa.gov/coastwatch/webdata/statistic/pdf/avgtemps-h_1995-2023.pdf|Historic Averages]] * [[https://lakehuronweather.org/wxWindMapMichigan.php|Lake Huron Wind and Weather]] * … ---- ==== Lake Michigan ==== * **Buoys** * [[https://seagull.glos.org/landing|Seagull Great Lakes Buoys]] * **NOAA** * **Surface Water Temperatures** * [[https://apps.glerl.noaa.gov/coastwatch/webdata/statistic/pdf/avgtemps-m_1995-2023.pdf|Historic Averages]] * [[https://www.weather.gov/grr/marine|Lake Michigan and Lake Huron Weather Sites]] * [[https://www.weather.gov/grr/BeachWeather|Lake Michigan Shoreline/Surf Forecasts]] * [[https://www.buoyweather.com/map/lake-michigan|Buoyweather]] * **Webcams** * [[https://www.wmta.org/live-west-michigan-camera-gallery/|West Michigan]] * … ---- ==== Lake Ontario ==== * **Buoys** * [[https://seagull.glos.org/landing|Seagull Great Lakes Buoys]] * **Water Temperatures** * [[https://apps.glerl.noaa.gov/coastwatch/webdata/statistic/pdf/avgtemps-o_1995-2023.pdf|Historic Averages]] * [[https://weather.gc.ca/marine/region_e.html?mapID=11|Canadian Weather Forecasts]] * [[https://www.buoyweather.com/map/lake-ontario|Buoy Weather]] * [[https://www.weather.gov/grr/marine|Observations]] (scroll to the bottom, Lk. Ontario is the last in the list) * … ---- ==== Lake Superior ==== \\ If you look at the maps of historic wind speed and direction averages along the shore of Lake Superior (find on windalert.com) you will find significant variance between locations that are not very far apart. This tends to reinforce the comments that Tim Traynor makes in his videos about the variability and effects of microclimates on local winds on Lake Superior. \\ * **Buoys** * [[https://seagull.glos.org/landing|Seagull Great Lakes Buoys]] * [[https://superiorwatersheds.org/superior-buoys|Superior Watersheds Website]] * [[https://www.d.umn.edu/buoys/|University of Minnesota]] * **Water Temperatures** * [[https://seatemperature.info/lake-superior-water-temperature.html|Lake Superior Current Surface Water Temperatures]] * [[https://apps.glerl.noaa.gov/coastwatch/webdata/statistic/pdf/avgtemps-s_1995-2022.pdf|Historic Averages]] * [[https://weather.gc.ca/marine/region_e.html?mapID=09|Canadian Forecasts Lake Superior]] * [[https://wx.windalert.com/map#47.488,-88.424,8,18|WindAlert Lake Superior Wind Map]] * [[:lake_superior|Lake Superior Home Page]] * [[:lake_superior#conditions|Observations about Local Microclimates]] * [[:lake_superior#safety|Warning about Variable Water Temperatures (Safety)]] * … ---- ===== Paddling the Lakes ===== (some of these can just be circular references if we don't yet have specific downwind run descriptions yet for a Great Lake in relation to a USA state or a Canadian province - but these links will be the places going forward to look for run descriptions on any of the lakes) ---- ==== Lake Erie ==== * **Canada** * [[:ontario#lake_erie|Ontario]] * **USA** * [[:east_north_central_usa#locales|Michigan]] * [[:east_north_central_usa#locales1|Ohio]] * [[:middle_atlantic_usa#downwinds_paddles|New York]] * [[:middle_atlantic_usa#lake_erie|Pennsylvannia]] * … ---- ==== Lake Huron ==== * **Canada** * [[:ontario#lake_hurongeorgian_bay|Ontario]] * **USA** * [[:east_north_central_usa#locales|Michigan]] * … ---- ==== Lake Michigan ==== * **​​​​​​****USA** * [[:east_north_central_usa#indiana|Indiana]] * [[:east_north_central_usa#illinois|Illinois]] * [[:east_north_central_usa#locales|Michigan]] * [[:east_north_central_usa#downwindpaddles|Wisconsin]]​​​​​​​ * … ---- ==== Lake Ontario ==== * **Canada** * [[:ontario#lake_ontario|Ontario]] * **USA** * [[:middle_atlantic_usa#downwinds_paddles|New York]] * … ---- ==== Lake Superior ==== * [[:lake_superior|Home Page]] * **Canada** * [[:ontario#lake_superior|Ontario]] * **USA** * [[:lake_superior#downwindpaddles|Minnesota & Wisconsin]] (See North & South Shores) * [[:lake_superior#south_shore_lake_superior_wisconsin_michigan|Michigan]] … (See Downwinding & Surfing) * … ---- ===== Resources ===== * **General** * [[https://michigansforgottencoast.com/learn-about-michigans-forgotten-coast/if-youve-never-seen-the-great-lakes-in-person|About the Great Lakes]] * [[https://www.greatlakespaddlers.com/|Great Lakes Paddlers]] (seem to mostly paddle waterways - lakes, rivers near Great Lakes) * [[https://www.paddlingtheblue.com/120-riding-the-waves-finding-flow-surf-kayaking-the-great-lakes-with-keith-wikle/|Surf Kayaking the Great Lakes]] Interview with Keith Wikle * [[https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/the-ultimate-guide-to-surfing-the-great-lakes|Surfing the Great Lakes]] * [[https://tcsurfski.com/2019/05/17/ppp-episode-32-surfski-on-the-great-lakes-with-nick-murray/|Surfski on the Great Lakes]] Nick Murray from TCSurfski podcast * [[https://www.worldatlas.com/lakes/the-great-lakes-by-depth.html|The Great Lakes by Depth]]​​​​​​​ * **Lake Michigan** * [[https://wmcka.org/|Western Michigan Coastal Kayaking Association]] * [[https://www.facebook.com/TheGales/|The Gales - Storm Gathering]] (facebook) * **Shipwrecks** * [[https://www.traversecity.com/things-to-do/attractions/shipwrecks/|Close to Traverse City]]**​​​​​​** * **​** [[https://www.michiganshipwrecks.org/shipwrecks-2|Michigan Shipwrecks.org]] * **Lake Ontario** * [[https://www.facebook.com/groups/401696056521351/|Surfski Ontario (facebook)]] * … ==== Taking Care of the Great Lakes ==== * [[https://www.paddlingtheblue.com/e-77/|Lake Superior Circumnavigation]] PaddlingtheBlue Podcast * [[https://youtu.be/JvxY8UReMhQ|Our Water]] 1.5 hr video about their trip and protecting the lake * [[https://standupforgreatlakes.com/|Standup For The Great Lakes]] * [[https://news.oilandgaswatch.org/post/opposition-mounts-to-aging-oil-gas-pipeline-threatening-great-lakes-and-tribal-lands|Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline]] * …