Isle Royale Forums

20 Degrees warmer that normal at this time of year.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/ ... id/173325/

That's interesting. I was just in the Apostles this past weekend and the temperature graph on my fishfinder never exceeded 58 degrees. The sensor is ~24" below the surface.

I don't know what this group is trying to spin, some sort of very localized climate change or something. This isn't the first time they've been sharing their "opinions" with the media. After reading the article, keywords like "could" and "looks like" tell the true story. They take data from three points in the lake apply it to a vast body of water and use it for stories like this and also doom and gloom stories from the past, the local news ran this story earlier in the week and quoted them on several consequenses of this including future Lake Trout stocks having to move further offshore to live. Statements like that have no basis in fact and are inserted to sensationalize their data, gain support of other groups and, in general, support theories and agendas. I would be comfortable saying I spend more time on this lake than most of them and would hardly call 39° water in July normal, it has happened, but the upper 40's are more common. They fail to mention that the weather has been quite a bit warmer than normal this spring and summer, plus the lake has been flat calm for many days at a time with no storms producing large waves all season, this warms the surface more than anything else, not last years ice cover. Just yesterday I ran from Grand Portage to McCargoe Cove on the island to Thompson Island in Canada and back to Grand Portage and found 62° in the deep water off the island to 50° water on the Canadian and US shoreline, I have seen 20° surface temp changes literally overnight after a big blow. Observations like this are normal and occur all over the lake not just from three data buoys.

I was hoping you would have some insight, thanks Capt'n Don.

I'm going with "It's a early spring."

We were just up at the family cabin near Bayfield for the fourth of July, and as normal, I always go for a swim in the lake. I brought my thermometer, and she read 62F at two feet down. Mind you, this is in the shallows, at 3pm, on a sunny day - So things have had plenty of chance to get solar warmth.
Now, that being said, normally around this time of year it would probably be mid to upper 50s under the same conditions. Like Capt Don points out, bring in a storm to stir up the lake and you'll drop temps dramatically.
Most all of the lakes here in Minnesota are reporting quite warmer than average, and most of those reports have cited the same thing - A warm, early spring.
They're forecasting a La Nina for this coming year (last year was an El Nino year), and so who knows - It might even be a late start for the ferries if the harbors are iced in...

Heck Tom, I wish I'd known. I would have taken you for a ride to Outer Island. The weather was awesome. Did you see the fireworks?

Now that would have been fun! My two year old was pretty zapped by the unusual heatwave and so we didn't stick around town for the fireworks, but from the cabin site we can watch a variety of North Shore displays, including Duluth, Two Harbors, and perhaps Silver Bay. We did get to catch a couple..