- Date
- 2012-10
- Kind
- Observation
- Where
- Beaver Island
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- environmenthydrologyinfrastructurecommunication
- Within
- Beaver Island
Summary
The October 2012 Beaver Beacon reports that Beaver Island beaches were about 26 inches below the long-term Lake Michigan average, with levels projected to fall below the 1964 low. The April 2013 issue reports a slight rise above that record low while noting continued uncertainty. The November 2013 issue reports the lake seven inches above the recent low but eighteen inches below average after lower-than-usual precipitation. The issues describe newly exposed harbor features, mud flats, and difficult boat launches.
Evidence limits
This entry preserves the newspaper’s contemporaneous observation and does not substitute for an official gauge record or basin-wide hydrologic analysis.
Sources
- Beaver Beacon, April 2013, "Water Up."Reports a slight rise in Lake Michigan that put the level incrementally above the 1964 all-time low, while noting that subsequent projections depended on rain and ice totals. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2013-04_Beaver-Beacon
- The held April issue scan confirms the water-level update.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 2013-04_Beaver-Beacon
- Beaver Beacon, November 2013, "It's the Water."Reports Lake Michigan seven inches above the recent low and eighteen inches below the average after lower-than-usual precipitation. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2013-11_Beaver-Beacon
- The held November issue scan confirms the water-level continuation.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 2013-11_Beaver-Beacon
- Beaver Beacon, November 2012, "How Low?"Reports that Lake Michigan continued to fall during October to about two inches above the prior all-time record and more than two feet below the long-term average, with a new record projected in December. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2012-11_Beaver-Beacon
- The held November issue scan confirms the continued low-water report.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 2012-11_Beaver-Beacon
- Beaver Beacon, October 2012, "The New High Water Mark Lower Than the Old Low Water Mark."Reports Island beach levels about 26 inches below the long-term average, projected below the 1964 low, and describes exposed harbor features, mud flats, and difficult boat launching. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2012-10_Beaver-Beacon
- The held October issue scan confirms the low-water report and photographs.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 2012-10_Beaver-Beacon
Added 7 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Beaver Island documents exceptionally low Lake Michigan water levels”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-lake-michigan-low-water-2012/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, April 2013, "Water Up." (and 7 further sources listed on the page).
Last revised 2026-08-07. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.
BibTeX for “Beaver Island documents exceptionally low Lake Michigan water levels”RIS for “Beaver Island documents exceptionally low Lake Michigan water levels”