Great Lakes surface temperatures higher than year ago

  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Weather officials say water temperatures in the Great Lakes are higher than at the same time a year ago.
MLive.com reports that warmer Great Lakes waters could help keep Michigan from having an extremely cold winter.
The data from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Center covers lake temperatures from Sunday and July 5, 2014. Lake Superior has the biggest difference in average surface water temperature, up 3.5 degrees this year to 48 degrees. Temperatures for Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are roughly 3 degrees higher on the surface than last year.
Surface temperatures are about 2 degrees higher on Lake Ontario and 0.4 degrees higher on Lake Erie.