Lake level 28 inches below Oct. average

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The water level in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron is only two inches higher than the all-time low for October, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Lakes Michigan and Huron, which act as a single lake because of the way they are connected, are currently at a water level of 576.6 feet, according to data compiled by the USACE.

That's 28 inches lower than the average October lake level, 14 inches lower than October of 2011, and 2 inches lower than the September level.

It's also only 2 inches higher than the all-time October low for Lakes Michigan and Huron, which was recorded in 1968.

The water level in Lakes Michigan and Huron is expected to drop another 3 inches by the end of November.

Water levels in Lakes Erie, Ontario, St. Clair and Superior are all lower than the October average, the USACE data shows.

• Erie: 10 inches below October average
• Ontario: 12 inches below October average
• St. Clair: 16 inches below October average
• Superior: 16 inches below October average

Storm Team 8 says the low lake levels are likely the result of below-average precipitation in the last year and the unusually hot summer, which caused more evaporation than is typical.

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US Army Corps of Engineers on Great Lakes water levels