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Record warm temperatures are hitting the Great Lakes that will fuel lake effect snow, disrupt fish and threaten livelihoods of those who rely on them for freshwater, researchers warn.
Lake effect snow is as weather phenomenon that forms when cold air and moisture move across open water and when the water is warm, the air turns into clouds.
These clouds then form narrow bands of heavy snow downwind of the lake and can produce two to three inches of snow per hour.
Researchers are unsure the exact impact that above average Great Lake temperatures will have on fish. However, they note trout only spawn when temperatures are in the low 50s, whereas water temperatures have in the upper 50s over the past few weeks.
Lake Superior, for example, is known for being frigid this time of year, but it was nearly 60 degrees in October and 51 degrees last week when its normal average is about 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
All five of the Great Lakes have been one to two degrees above normal since October, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data, as reported by Detroit News.
All of the five Great Lakes have been one to two degrees above normal since October, according to National Oceanic and
