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Lake Michigan Water Level Today

Today’s level at the Milwaukee, WI gauge, compared with last year and the long-term average for November.

Updated 8:48 PM CST, Nov 7, 2026 · Source: NOAA station 9087057 Provisional

Water level Provisional

578.62ft

IGLD 1985 · Milwaukee, WI gauge, 8:48 PM CST, Nov 7, 2026

  • +0.58 ftvs a year ago (578.04 ft)
  • +0.13 ftlake-wide average (578.87 ft, Nov 6) vs November long-term average (578.74 ft)
  • −0.30 ftin 24 h−0.11 ft in 7 days
577.5578.0578.5579.0579.5580.0577.5578.0578.5579.0579.5580.0
  • November average
  • 1 yr ago

Is Lake Michigan high or low?

Lake Michigan is about 0.6 ft higher than a year ago at the Milwaukee, WI gauge. The lake-wide level is 0.13 ft above its long-term November average.

Lake Michigan water temperature: 57.0°F

Lake Michigan level history

View data table
DateLevel (ft)% full
Nov 7, 2026578.62—
Nov 5, 2026578.77—
Nov 4, 2026578.82—
Nov 3, 2026578.82—
Nov 2, 2026578.84—
Nov 1, 2026578.88—
Oct 31, 2026578.88—
Oct 30, 2026578.73—
Oct 29, 2026578.80—
Oct 28, 2026579.00—
Oct 27, 2026579.12—
Oct 26, 2026579.06—
Oct 25, 2026578.93—
Oct 24, 2026579.01—
Oct 23, 2026579.03—
Oct 22, 2026578.98—
Oct 21, 2026578.99—
Oct 20, 2026579.03—
Oct 19, 2026578.77—
Oct 18, 2026578.53—
Oct 17, 2026578.89—
Oct 16, 2026579.33—
Oct 15, 2026579.19—
Oct 14, 2026579.04—
Oct 13, 2026579.20—
Oct 12, 2026579.03—
Oct 11, 2026579.05—
Oct 10, 2026579.19—
Oct 9, 2026579.07—
Oct 8, 2026578.93—
Oct 7, 2026579.00—
  • Lake Michigan at Milwaukee, WI (daily average)
Source: NOAA CO-OPS 9087057 · IGLD 1985

Lake Michigan in November in past years

Lake Michigan lake-wide average level in November by year
YearNovember average (ft)vs long-term
2026so far578.65−0.09
2025577.85−0.89
2024578.51−0.23
2023579.10+0.36
2022579.27+0.53
2021580.12+1.38
2020581.40+2.66
2019581.56+2.82
2018580.25+1.51
2017580.22+1.48
2016579.36+0.62

Lake-wide monthly means from NOAA GLERL. Long-term November average: 578.74 ft (1918 to last year).

Lake facts

NOAA gauge
Milwaukee, WI 9087057
Datum
IGLD 1985
Highest November (lake-wide)
581.96 ft1986
Lowest November (lake-wide)
576.28 ft1964
Highest monthly level
582.35 ftOct 1986
Lowest monthly level
576.02 ftJan 2013
Surface area
22,300 sq mi
Maximum depth
925 ft
Average depth
279 ft
Volume
1,180 cubic miles

Area, depth and volume: US EPA, The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book. Records: lake-wide monthly means since 1918 (NOAA GLERL).

Neighboring lakes

Quick answers

Is Lake Michigan high or low right now?
The lake-wide level on Nov 6, 2026 was 578.87 ft, 0.13 ft above the long-term November average of 578.74 ft (NOAA GLERL, 1918 to last year).
Why does the gauge differ from the lake-wide level?
Wind pushes water from one end of a Great Lake to the other, so a single gauge can read higher or lower than the lake average for hours. The lake-wide figure averages several gauges and changes slowly.
What is IGLD 1985?
The International Great Lakes Datum of 1985, the reference used for Great Lakes levels by the US and Canada instead of mean sea level.
How often is this page updated?
Several times a day with the latest reading of NOAA station 9087057. The lake-wide averages are updated by NOAA GLERL once a day.

Where this data comes from

Water level from NOAA station 9087057 (tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov), IGLD 1985. Lake-wide monthly means and records from NOAA GLERL. Recent readings are provisional.

Lake Levels Daily is an independent site, not affiliated with TWDB, LCRA, USACE, USGS, NOAA, TVA or any lake operator. Check official sources before making safety decisions.