Climate, Weather and the Great Lakes

We are all walking weather stations, constantly taking readings of the weather and building a unique concept of the climate we experience. For example, your grandparents’ perception of climate will be different than yours. When they tell stories about how difficult the winters were when they were children, does this indicate that the climate has changed? How do we know if our perceptions of climate match what is really going on?

Understanding climate and weather in the Great Lakes region is important because we use that information to guide many significant personal and societal decisions. For example, we decide:

• when to schedule outdoor events such as weddings and family reunions,
• which crops to plant and when,
• how to size and design stormwa­ter management infrastructure,
• how much money a city should budget for snow removal, and
• how to determine insurance rates for homes in flood-prone areas.

Michigan Sea Grant developed fact sheets that explore major climate-related concepts. They provide information that will help residents, municipalities and businesses understand the climate change dialogue and prepare for potential changes in the Great Lakes region. This page and the Lake Levels page include overviews of the fact sheets, followed by a link to the full PDF version of the publication.

Weather vs. Climate
Ask a Michigander to describe November weather and you’ll likely hear: cold, gray, windy, rainy and maybe snowy. No one would say “65 degrees and sunny.”

But on November 12, 2010, we experienced just those conditions in Lower Michigan. It’s not surprising for people to attribute such an unexpectedly warm day to climate change, given the attention the topic receives in the media. Yet, that one warm day in November is not evidence of climate change. One of the keys to learning about climate change is understanding the difference between weather and climate.

See: Weather and Climate: What is the difference? (PDF)

Climate Variability and Climate Change
The summer of 2009 was one of Michigan’s coldest summers on record. In June of that same year, the U.S. Global Change Research Program published a report stating: “Observations show that warming of the climate is unequivocal.” How can scientists say climate is changing if a sweatshirt is needed to stay warm on a July afternoon?

In order to make sense of what seems like contradictory evidence we have to recognize that just as the weather varies naturally, so too does climate. We cannot draw conclu­sions about climate change based on one summer. There are always ups and downs.

See: Climate Variability and Climate Change: What is the difference? (PDF)

Changing Lake Levels
Climate change in the Great Lakes could also have an effect on lake levels. To learn more about changing water levels and preparing for uncertainty, check out the Lake Levels page and fact sheets.

See: Lake Levels

Top

Can You Tell the Difference?

What does the statement describe – weather or climate?

1. “Today feels so much hotter than yesterday.”
2. “We usually have a lot more snow than this in January.”
3. “Today’s high temperature was 10 degrees cooler than normal.”
4. “Heavy thunderstorms are expected to move through the area this evening.”
5. “I’ve lived on Lake Huron for 60 years, and I’ve never experienced wind like this”

Answers Below

Presentations

• Climate Ready Great Lakes Training Modules

Reports

• Preparing for Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region (PDF)

Answer Key: 1. Weather, 2. Climate, 3. Climate, 4. Weather, 5. Climate