TOLEDO, Ohio (WJW) — Lake Erie water levels broke records Friday, after ridiculously low temperatures and high winds pummeled much of Ohio.
“The water level on the western basin of Lake Erie near Toledo has broken the all time lowest water level ever recorded and it is still dropping,” the National Weather Service tweeted Friday afternoon.
When water levels change like this, it’s known as a seiche, said “say-sh.”
As FOX 8 meteorologist Scott Sabol explained last year when one occurred, a seiche takes place during huge wind events.
“It’s like sloshing the water in your bathtub, the water will go from the west of the lake to the east part of the lake and will drastically change the height of the lake over a short period of time. The levels then return to normal after the winds die down,” he said.
Take a look at how low the water levels got near Put-in-Bay Friday:
Put-in-Bay low Lake Erie. Photo courtesy Barry Koehler 
Put-in-Bay low Lake Erie. Photo courtesy Barry Koehler 
Put-in-Bay low Lake Erie. Photo courtesy Barry Koehler 
Put-in-Bay low Lake Erie. Photo courtesy Barry Koehler 
Put-in-Bay low Lake Erie. Photo courtesy Barry Koehler 
Put-in-Bay low Lake Erie. Photo courtesy Barry Koehler
Besides the low water levels, the winter storm winds caused thousands of power outages across the state, much of which have been restored as of Saturday evening.
Find all of the latest updates on the weekend weather, as a wind chill advisory is still in place, right here.
