Painfully cold for now, why Lake Michigan won't be warming up for awhile
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — With the summer season now underway along our West Michigan Lake Shore, it's time to take a trip to one of our area's incredible beaches.
The cold water caught some beachgoers by surprise in South Haven over the weekend, but frigid water is by no means unusual in early June.
After some headway due to our recent stretch of heat, water temperatures have cooled down a bit in South Haven due to some subtle wind shifts and recent, cooler overnights.
Water temperatures in the 50s are especially dangerous due to the potential for cold shock, which refers to your body's natural instinct to tense up in the event you're submerged in cold water. It can cause a sudden spike in heart rate and blood pressure, and within minutes the average person can begin to lose some muscular control.
According to the National Center for Cold Water Safety, the threat of cold water shock is maximized when water temperatures range between 50 and 60 degrees. The non-profit recommends swimmers use thermal protection like a wet suit when entering water below 70 degrees.
Here are some recent water temperatures according to the latest buoy reports in Lake Michigan:
- Holland State Park: 50 degrees
- Grand Haven State Park: 51 degrees
- Muskegon: 54 degrees
- Holland: 57 degrees
- South Haven: 58 degrees
- Oval Beach: 59 degrees
- Lake Macatawa: 59 degrees
- Cook Nuclear Plant: 61 degrees
Several days of northerly winds will likely lead to upwelling. Northerly winds push warm water at the surface southward toward the lower edge of Lake Michigan. Colder water submerged underneath fills in the void.
An overall cool pattern through Friday might discourage some beach goers.
While our Lake Shore remains quite cold, recent heat has warmed Lake Michigan up considerably. The Lake surface as a whole is trending approximately 8F warmer than the 1995-2022 average, with a very evident spike in the last week.
At News Channel 3, we report water temperatures and swimming forecasts throughout the summer months.
If you'd like to access the data for yourself, there are several online platforms to find it.
- Great Lakes Observing System Seagull platform
- NOAA's National Data Buoy Center
- South Haven's beach flag status homepage
The warmest temperatures in Lake Michigan generally transpire from late July through early September. Future heatwaves could certainly speed up this timeline.
Email Meteorologist Will Haenni and Meteorologist Jeff Porter. Follow and like their content on Facebook (Will Haenni WWMT, @jeffporterwx), Twitter (@WillWWMT, @JeffPorterwx), and Instagram (@WillWWMT, @jeffporterwx).