Climate change and coastal resilience

Climate change is causing increased variability and extremes in Great Lakes water levels and weather patterns. For example, in 2013, Great Lakes levels were at or near historic lows; by 2019 and 2020, lake levels were at or near historic highs. Lake levels normally change over time, but the cycle has become shorter and more extreme and chaotic.

Climate change has also increased total precipitation in Michigan by approximately 14% and the frequency of precipitation events by approximately 35%. ​​Extreme events such as severe weather and heavy rainfall are also expected to increase over the next century. Storms, high water levels, and erratic precipitation can cause coastal flooding and erosion, damaging critical coastal infrastructure and disrupting shipping and recreational use of the lakes. Learn more about climate impacts on Michigan.

Navigating climate change impacts can be overwhelming, especially when trying to determine who and what is most vulnerable in a community. GLISA, part of NOAA’s Climate Adaptation Partnership (CAP) program, provides easy-to-understand climate information and scenario planning guides. These workbooks provide a method to manage uncertainty, especially high-risk events, by walking a community through a set of plausible climate scenarios to aid in city and local planning.