Great Lakes' water temperatures are very warm for November, still 60 degrees on one lake

Here's an overall look at the current surface water temperatures on the Great Lakes. All of the Great Lakes are running warmer than normal.

It's no surprise the Great Lakes are warmer than normal since our air temperatures have been warmer than normal for quite some time.

The current satellite derived surface water temperature image from yesterday shows just how warm these lakes are for November.

The yellow pocket in western Lake Erie shows an area of water that is still 60 degrees. This is very warm water for mid-November. Surface water temperatures usually closely track with the average temperature of the previous several days.

This means a spot like western Lake Erie should have an average air temperature of about 42 degrees. Of course the warm water currently is caused by the warmer-than-normal air temperatures. In looking at Toledo, Ohio's average temperature so far this November it is running six degrees warmer than normal. An average temperature that far above normal is significant. It's not record warmth but within a top-ten warm month.

Lake Michigan has a really warm pocket for mid-November. From Grand Haven southward there is still a large area of 57 degree water. Of course that sounds cold for swimming, but it is really warm for this time of year.

Lake Superior is quite warm for this time of year. If you look at the map above, Lake Superior's surface water temperatures are still in the 40s and 50s. The coldest pocket of water registers only as cold as 42 degrees. Again- this is cold for a human to swim, but much warmer than normal.

The warm Great Lakes will have a large effect on Michigan's weather over the next month or more. I'll have more on that idea here next week.