Confronting climate change in the Great Lakes region : impacts on our communities and ecosystems

Climate Projections In general, throughout this century, the region’s climate is expected to become considerably warmer in both summer and winter. Although average annual precipitation may not change much, projected changes in seasonal precipitation patterns are more distinct: winter and spring precipitation is expected to increase while summer rain could decrease by as much as 50 percent. Yet at the same time, heavy summer downpours are likely to become more frequent with dry periods in between. Soil moisture and stream fl ow will refl ect these changes in rainfall, and lake levels are expected to drop overall. Some of these changes have already been detected in regional climate trends.