Lake Erie Surface Temperatures
Lake Erie temperatures fluctuate seasonally with the highest average temperatures occurring in the summer and fall and the coldest temperatures occurring in the winter and spring. Because of the higher heat capacity of water, the lake stays warmer in the fall as air temperature falls, which leads to increased evaporation due to the greater difference in temperature between the air and water. On the other hand, it takes the lake longer than the air to heat up in the spring because of its heat capacity, leading to the lake staying cold through the spring as air temperatures rise. The data shown on this page represents long-term trends and projections for lake surface temperatures in Lake Erie compiled by GLISA. Don't see the temperature data you need? Contact us!
Daily surface temperatures
This figure shows the average daily surface temperature for Lake Erie from 1995-2019. The gray lines represent variability of daily temperatures in individual years.
The lake is getting warmer
Over the period of record (1995-2019), average surface water temperatures in Lake Erie have increased slightly
Seasonal average surface temperature
Each season shows a slight increasing trend in surface temperature, most prominent in the summer and fall.