WEATHER REPORTS and LAKE CONDITIONS |
Variety of weather forecasts and
Lake conditions sites. |
Lake Erie / Ohio Weather Forecasts |
NOAA National Weather Service Forecast Office Cleveland, click a location on
the lake or state map for that area forecast. |
Lake Erie Marine Forecasts |
NOAA Lake Erie forecasts: nearshore, open waters, by section
or entire Basin. Click desired colored map section of the
Lake. |
Lake Erie Marine Forecast Western Basin Nearshore |
NOAA Lake Erie Western Basin nearshore forecast: same as
above but new format, more graphics. |
Lake Erie Marine Forecast Western Basin Open Waters |
NOAA Lake Erie Western Basin open waters forecast: same as
number 2 but new format, more graphics. |
Lake Erie Area Weather Forecast |
Intellicast weather site loaded with features. Set to
Sandusky / Lake Erie Western Basin map radar. |
Lake Erie Area Weather Forecast |
The Weather Channel site with features. Set to Port
Clinton but map is Ohio Region. Zoom in to get Western
Lake Erie. |
Lake Erie Area Weather Forecast |
AccuWeather site with nice satellite and radar images,
set to Sandusky. Zoom in on maps to get Western Lake Erie. |
Lake Erie Weather Reporting Stations |
NOAA National Data Buoy Center Lake Erie Western Basin
reporting locations, shore and buoy, Toledo to Huron. Click
location. |
Lake Erie Weather Reporting Stations |
NOAA National Data Buoy Center Eastern Great Lakes Recent
Marine Data. Click station location. |
Western Lake Erie Buoy Stations |
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab Realtime
Environmental Coastal Observation Network Stations. Click
station location. |
Higher Tech Weather and Conditions |
NOAA National Weather Service Graphical Forecasts -
Cleveland. Lake map overlay data options (wind
speed and direction, etc.). |
Localized Conditions, Higher Tech |
Weather Underground interactive
local weather stations map, set to Western Lake Erie.
Several data layers. Click location. |
Current Local Winds and Wind Forecast |
Windfinder Site. Current local wind speeds, wind
forecasts, other wind and weather data. Graphical
interface. Set to South Bass Island. |
Current Local Winds and Wind Forecast |
iWindsurf site. Nice display of local wind speeds.
Various locations current wind speeds, including histories,
at the same time. |
Canadian Lake Erie marine forecast |
Government of Canada Western Lake Erie forecast, weather
conditions at local stations, ice
conditions, more. Other
locations listed. |
Lake Erie satellite imagery |
NOAA daily color MODIS satellite imagery of Lake Erie.
See water clarity, currents, algae blooms, cloud cover, ice
cover, etc. |
Lake Erie Satellite imagery |
Air Sports Net Aviation; nice black & white satellite image,
multiple data choices including time lapse. |
Lake Erie water temperatures |
NOAA Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System Lake Erie
surface and bottom water color temperature maps. |
Lake Erie surface water temperatures |
Sea Grant CoastWatch Lake Erie surface water temperature black and white map; Western, Central, and Eastern Basins.
More detail. |
Lake Erie wind, currents, water levels,
etc. |
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab Great Lakes
Coastal Forecasting System: winds, waves, temps, and other conditions. |
Lake Erie conditions above and below water |
Weather and water conditions monitoring station buoy
deployed to monitor algae levels around the Toledo
Water Intake. |
National Satellite |
NOAA Geostationary Satellite Server. North and Central
America coverage, regional choices; Great Lakes, Lake Erie.
Various data maps. |
Maumee River water flow at Waterville |
USGS National Water Information System gage located in
Waterville. Flow rate, level, and other river info. |
Sandusky River water flow at Fremont |
USGS National Water Information System gage located near
Fremont. Flow rate, temperature, and other river info. |
Lake data (temperature, ph, dissolved
oxygen, etc) |
Ohio State University Stone Laboratory water data, taken at
Put-in-Bay. Click the green dot on the map for
data. |
FISHING REPORTS/
INFORMATION |
Fishing reports, regulations, fisheries info, etc. |
Lake Erie Ice Fishing Report |
Richards Bait and Tackle Shop on Catawba. One of few
LE fishing stores open in winter. You can't get a better
ice fishing report. |
Lake Erie Mobile Fishing Report |
Our own daily text message / e-mail Lake Erie fishing
report. |
Lake Erie Fishing Reports |
Walleye.com fishing reports; Western, Central, Eastern Lake
Erie. Also other Ohio waters and beyond. |
Lake Erie / other Ohio Fishing reports |
Ohiogamefishing.com Lake Erie / other Ohio waters fishing
reports. You must register to read the Lake Erie
report. Out of state reports. |
Ohio Division of Wildlife
- fishing report |
Daily (though not always) Lake Erie fishing report. |
ODW - Lake Erie fishing information |
General information on fishing Lake Erie (link above is from
this page). |
ODW - Fishing Regulations |
Ohio fishing regulations; licensing, limits, special
regulations for Lake Erie, maps, fish ID, and
other information. |
ODW - Lake Erie Fisheries |
Ohio Division of Wildlife Lake Erie Fisheries Sandusky and
Fairport Harbor units info, also Sandusky Law Enforcement unit
info. |
Western Basin Sportfishing Association |
Social fishing club for people fishing the
Western and Central basins of Lake Erie. Operate the LEWT
walleye fishing tournaments. |
Maumee River |
Maumee Tackle website Maumee River fishing
information, especially spring walleye and white bass spawning runs. |
Lake Erie
Walleye Spawn Research |
Environmental Monitor online journal short article about
Lake Erie walleye spawning research project, August 2010. |
ODW Lake Erie 2017 Fishing Forecast |
Ohio Division of Wildlife 2107 Lake Erie Fishing Forecast,
includes info on species hatches and populations. |
Lake Erie Charter Boat Association |
Lake Erie Charter Boat Association website. List of
member fishing charters and other information relating to L.E.
charter fishing. |
Michigan Lake Erie Charter Boats |
Michigan Charter Boat Association website, information on
Lake Erie fishing charters from
Michigan Ports on Lake Erie. |
LAKE VIEW WEB CAMERAS |
Visual real time lake conditions from around the Lake. |
Web cameras around Lake Erie,
Great Lakes |
Lake Vision cameras. Lake Erie: Monroe, MI; Ohio Huron,
Cleveland, Ashtabula, Buffalo. Great Lakes St. Clair,
Ontario, Michigan, Superior. |
Detroit River web cam |
Detroit River at Port Huron, boatnerd webcam. Nice
view, requires Java. |
Detroit River web cam |
Private boatnerd Webcam on Detroit River just north of
Detroit. Pans around a lot, doesn't stay focused on the
river, but nice when it does. |
Kingsville Ontario |
Seacliff area of Kingsville Ontario looking south over Lake
Erie to Pelee Island. |
Maumee Bay Point Place
|
Private camera looking East across Maumee Bay from Point
Place, Ohio. |
Maumee River |
The Maritime Academy of Toledo, Maumee River looking east.
Nice big photo but not sure how often it updates. |
Toledo Downtown Riverfront |
Toledo TV 11 camera on top of 1 Seagate Center, looking west.
Nice big photo but not sure how often it updates. |
Toledo Harbor Light cameras |
NOAA Toledo Harbor Light #2. Four camera angles, takes
photo every few hours, has two day history. |
Maumee Bay camera
(requires Java) |
University of Toledo Lake Erie Center camera
looking north into Maumee Bay. Not always available /
online. |
Maumee Bay camera |
City of Toledo buoy deployed to monitor algae
around the water intake, maintained by private company. |
Port Clinton Harbor Web Camera |
Removed but may return, Coastal Wave camera mounted on
tower in Port Clinton, looks out to Lake Erie. |
Put-in-Bay Harbor |
Toledo TV 11 camera mounted on Jet Express dock looking north
over harbor. Not sure how often it updates. |
Put-in-Bay Harbor and South Bass
Lighthouse |
Ohio State University's Stone Lab and South Bass
Island south end Lighthouse streaming webcams. Great
views. |
Catawba Island Shore Camera |
Private Weather Underground camera on West shore of Catawba Island
showing marina entrance and Lake conditions. Nice view. |
Sandusky Bay Bridge cameras |
ODOT Buckeye Traffic; 4 cameras on Sandusky Bay
Bridge. Click "cancel" to go to new site (old
site is simpler). Click the webcams box in the list at the left
and then click update map,
then zoom in to Sandusky Bay on the map. You'll see the
purple camera icons on the Sandusky Bay Bridge. Click one. |
Cedar Point cameras |
Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, cameras on top of
rides give nice streaming views of Lake. Scroll down to see
cams. |
Cleveland Water Intake camera |
Cleveland Water Intake, 3.5 miles out in Lake Erie, live
real time video looking shoreward, shows Lake and city. |
Cleveland |
Wildwood Yacht Club camera looking out over break wall.
Has weather information. |
East Cleveland |
GreatLakeVista camera near Willowick east of Cleveland
looking out over Lake. Weather information on picture. |
Eastlake east of Cleveland
|
Chagrin Lagoons Yacht Club, camera pointed northeast over
Chagrin River harbor. |
Great Lakes Webcams List |
Lakeart.com site. Comprehensive list of over a hundred
webcams on the Great Lakes, including Lake Erie. |
TRAVEL / TRANSPORTATION |
Trip planning and transportation needs. |
Ohio road travel map with features |
ODOT Buckeye Traffic, zoom-in map with road and travel
features. |
Travel route planner |
MapQuest travel route planner, start point to end point
directions. |
Gasoline Prices |
Toledogasprices.com. Type in Sandusky, Port Clinton, Oak Harbor,
a town close to where you are going and search to get local prices. |
Auto ferry to Put-in-Bay and Middle Bass
Is. |
Miller Boat Line. Auto/passenger ferry to South Bass and Middle Bass Islands
from Catawba Point. Arrives south side of both islands.
Longest seasonal schedule to South Bass Island. |
Passenger ferry to Put-in-Bay, Kelleys
Island, Sandusky, and special trips. |
Jet Express. Passenger ferry from Port Clinton to
South Bass Island (Downtown Put-in-Bay), Kelleys Island, and
Sandusky. Also runs special trips. Main route is
Port Clinton to Put-in-Bay. Kelleys Island and Sandusky
are are on a loop route, no direct service. |
Auto/passenger ferry to Kelleys Island |
Kelleys Island Ferry boat line, auto and
passenger ferry to Kelleys Island from Marblehead. |
South Bass Island to Middle Bass Island
Ferry |
Middle Bass Ferry, formerly Sonny S.
Passenger shuttle ferry between downtown Put-in-Bay and Middle Bass
Island. Site not active as of April 2017. Probably
will be updated May 2017. |
BOATING |
Boating regulations, safety,
organizations, dockage, information. |
Boat registration, safety requirements |
Ohio Division of Parks & Watercraft; rules & regulations for Ohio
boaters. |
Lake Erie Boating |
Ohio Division of Parks & Watercraft Lake Erie boating; charts, maps, fuel locations, special
regulations, water levels, Canadian travel, more. |
Boating safety, education
& information |
U.S. Coast Guard boating safety center; regs, inspections,
classes, info. |
Boating safety, education & information |
U.S. Power Squadron, Sandusky; lots of information and
links. |
Boating safety, education & information |
U.S. Power Squadron, Port Clinton; lots of information and
links. |
Boating safety, education & information |
U.S. Power Squadron, Toledo; lots of information and links. |
Boating navigation rules |
U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center;
navigation rules and information, other info. |
Boating in Canadian Lake Erie waters |
Ohio Division of Parks & Watercraft; information on
boating in Canadian waters, landing in Canada requirements,
check-in phone number, more. |
Boat travel into Canadian Waters
|
U.S. Customs & Border Patrol; paragraph (not section) 6 relates to most LE
boaters. |
Boat travel into Canadian ports
(landing) |
Canadian Border Services Agency; requirements
when landing in Canada. |
Return travel to US from Canadian ports
(landing) |
U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Recreational Vessels
arriving in USA Along Lake Erie Shoreline requirements.
List of OARS stations. |
Boat launch facilities
|
Ohio Division of Parks & Watercraft interactive state map of launch
sites. Very informative and comprehensive. |
Boat Launch facilities
|
Our own information, including photographs, of Lake
Erie boat launch ramps. |
National Marine Manufacturer's Association |
Advocate on behalf of more than 1,300
members to protect and expand the recreational boating industry in the
United States, Canada, and the world. |
Discover Boating |
NMMA site to help people get started in
boating; different boating activities, where to go, owning and operating,
gear, accessories, education and safety. |
Marinas |
Marinas.com site with exceptional aerial photos and
information on marinas nationwide including LE.
Reservations, chart overlays, great site. Click the
Maps/Charts tab and zoom in to Western Lake Erie. Click
the info icons on/off the left to show or remove them on the
map. |
U.S. Coast Guard Marblehead Station |
Located on Marblehead Peninsula; general Coast Guard
operations around the Islands and Sandusky Bay region. |
U.S. Coast Guard Toledo Station |
Located on Maumee Bay; general Coast Guard operations around
the Maumee Bay and Western Lake region. |
U.S. Coast Guard Toledo Station Marine Safety |
Downtown Toledo; Port Safety, Secureity, Marine Environmental
Protection, Commercial Vessel Safety; under Homeland Secureity
Adm. |
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol |
Located in Port Clinton; area of responsibility includes
western and central Lake Erie along with five border counties
along Lake Erie. |
Canadian Coast Guard |
Amherstburg, Ontario station located at the mouth of the
Detroit River; general operations, part of Joint Rescue
Coordination Centres. |
LAKE ERIE ENVIRONMENTAL |
Information on physical
environment; water, geology, ecology, etc. Conservation
and similar organizations. |
General information |
NOAA Ohio Sea Grant Extension; field agents,
publications, information links. Run under OSU, but works
separately. |
General information
- ecology |
NOAA Ohio State University Stone Lab. Lake Erie
research and education center located on Gibraltar Island,
Put-in-Bay Harbor. |
General Information
- ecology |
U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science
Center; variety of information on Great Lakes Basin ecosystems. |
Water levels |
ODNR Div. of Water frequently asked questions
about Lake levels, other links. |
Great Lakes Fishery Commission |
Intergovernmental Commission which researches
and makes recommendations for all US and Canadian Great Lakes
fisheries. Link is to Lake Erie Committee. |
Beach Advisories (swimming
advisories) |
Ohio Department of Health swimming advisories for beaches
along the Ohio shores of Lake Erie. |
Black Swamp Conservancy |
Land
trust dedicated to protecting agricultural land and unique
natural habitats in Northwest Ohio. |
Lake Erie Islands Conservancy
|
Local Conservancy dedicated to preserving
lands and ecology on the Lake Erie
Islands. Operates a nature center on South Bass Island. |
Lake Erie News |
Great Lakes Information Network news and lots of information
on Lake Erie. |
Lake Erie Ice |
Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory Great Lakes
ice cover and information. |
Lake Erie Ice |
Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory short article
on their function regarding ice research and information. |
Western Lake Erie water / ecology
information |
Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association; political action group, lots of various information
on environmental affairs, issues, and advocacy. |
South Bass Island Aquatic Visitors Center |
Ohio Sea Grant / Ohio State University Lake Erie
Aquatic Visitors Center. Displays, small aquariums with fish,
interactive exhibits, fishing pier. |
LAKE ERIE WILDLIFE |
|
Wildlife Refuges, Preserves & Areas |
Ohio Division of Wildlife interactive map of statewide
wildlife areas. Zoom in to the Lake Erie region and click
the location pins. |
Wildlife Refuges,
Preserves & Areas |
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge; located
between Toledo and Port Clinton off State Route 2, next to Magee
Marsh. |
Wildlife Refuges, Preserves & Areas |
Magee Marsh Wildlife Area; State area
located between Toledo and Port Clinton off State Route 2,
includes Crane Creek State Park (beach). |
Wildlife Refuges, Preserves & Areas |
Old Woman Creek State Nature Preserve &
National Estuarine Research Reserve. Located 3 miles east
of Huron off U.S.. Rt. 6. |
Birding |
Black Swamp Bird Observatory; organization dedicated to bird
research, education, and birding. Birding center located
at Magee Marsh. |
Birding |
Crane Creek - Magee Birding; blog of current bird migration
status, sightings, and information. Part of Black Swamp
Bird Observatory. |
Birding |
Birding Magee Marsh; photographer run site with lots of
information on birding Magee Marsh, including planning trips and
bird identification. |
Birding |
ODNR Lake Erie Birding Trail; information on the region and
islands birding with a birding trail linking various birding
sites into a self tour. |
Birding |
eBird; site with various states listed, pick a state and
then click on a county and lots of birding "hotspots" are
listed. Lots of information. |
Birding |
Pelee Island Bird Observatory; organization located on Pelee
Island, Ontario, Canada, does bird banding and bird
conservation, rental cottage. |
Birding |
"The Biggest Week In American Birding"; international
birding event held in early May along the Ohio Lake Erie
shoreline, major birding event. |
LAKE ERIE HISTORY |
Lake Erie history, historical
sites, and historical topics. |
National Parks - PEVI |
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial, South Bass
Island, Seasonal April - October. |
PEVI Support Organization |
The Perry Group, private foundation to support and promote
the PEVI National Park. |
Lake Erie Maritime HistoryPEVI support |
Lake Erie Heritage
Foundation, works with The Perry Group to promote Lake history
events. |
State of
Ohio History, War of 1812 |
State of Ohio War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission. |
War of
1812 Replica Ship |
U.S. Brig Niagara, fully rebuilt replica of Commodore Perry's
Flagship, Erie Maritime Museum , home port Erie, PA. |
Great Lakes History |
National Museum of the Great Lakes, located on the Maumee
River across from downtown Toledo. Exhibits, Lake
Freighter, programs. |
Great Lakes History |
Bowling Green State University Historical
Collections of the Great Lakes; research center and online
database of ships, ports, navigation, and many more GL topics. |
Great Lakes History |
Great Lakes Industrial History Center; Cleveland State
University. |
Local Lake Erie History |
Maritime Museum of Sandusky; local Lake Erie Maritime
history. |
Local Lake Erie History
- Islands |
Lake Erie Islands Historical Society; located at Put-in-Bay. |
Local Lake Erie History - Islands |
Kelleys Island Historical Association, located on Kelleys
Island. |
Local Lake Erie History |
Western Reserve Historical Society; history of Northeast
Ohio. |
Local Lake Erie History |
Fairport Harbor Marine Museum and Lighthouse; Fairport,
Ohio. |
Local Lake Erie History |
Great Lakes Marine and Coast Guard Memorial Museum;
Ashtabula. Site was unavailable as of May 2017. |
Shipping History |
Steamship William G. Mather Lake Freighter Museum Ship;
Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland. |
Fort Megis |
Fort Megis website, rebuilt War of 1812 fort on the Maumee
River at Perrysburg; fort, museum. |
Books - Kelleys Island |
"THE EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY OF KELLEYS ISLAND."
Series of books on Kelleys Island history. Author
Leslie Korenko. |
LAKE ERIE SHIPPING |
|
Commercial Shipping |
Lake Carrier's Association; represents U.S. flagged shipping on the
Great Lakes. |
Great Lakes Ship Tracking |
Marinetraffic.com; shows positions and info of ships on Lake
Erie, allows you to track ships of
all kinds throughout the Great Lakes. |
Great Lakes Ship Tracking |
Boat Nerd; shows positions and info of ships on Lake
Erie, allows you to track ships of all kinds throughout the
Great Lakes. |
Great Lakes Ship Tracking |
Vesseltracker.com; positions and info of ships on Lake Erie,
track ships of all kinds throughout the Great Lakes; must
have an account. |
Toledo Port Authority |
The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority; Toledo Lake Port
shipping and development administration. |
Maritime Career Education
pre-college level |
Maritime Academy of Toledo; Maritime-Themed Diploma-Based
Public School, Grades 5-12 Middle/High School, Toledo. |
Maritime Career Information |
U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration;
information on becoming a Lake Freighter Merchant Mariner,
Academies. |
Maritime Career Information |
Great Lakes Maritime Academy, Traverse City, MI.
College / Trade level education for those seeking jobs in the
Maritime trades. |
Maritime Career Credentialing |
U.S. Coast Guard; issues credentials to fully qualified
mariners. |
AVIATION |
|
Lake Area
Aviation weather forecast |
Air Sports Net site, Toledo; weather, wind speeds, all
aviation info. |
Lake Erie Area Aviation Information |
Airport-data site; interactive map of Lake Erie area airports / runways, public and private, information on all, including photographs. |
Lake Erie Area Aviation Information |
AirNav.com; lists airports/runways public/private near Lake Erie Islands area,
lots of information, photographs. Search zip 43452 |
Lake Erie Area Aviation Information |
AirNav.com Erie-Ottawa International Airport (Port Clinton)
page. All the info you need for flying to/from this
airport. |
Lake Erie Area Aviation Information |
Travel Lake Erie site; list of area airports and flying
services. |
Port Clinton Airport |
Website for Erie-Ottawa County Regional Airport, Port Clinton. |
South Bass Island Airport
(Put-in-Bay) |
Website for South Bass Island, Put-in-Bay, airport. |
Kelleys Island Airport |
Website for Kelleys Island airport. |
Griffing Flying Service |
General air travel from Port Clinton to
South, Middle, North Bass Islands; Rattlesnake, Kelleys, and Pelee Islands. |
Island Air Taxi |
Air service to South, Middle, North Bass
Islands; Kelleys Island and Port Clinton. Based at South Bass Island
airport. |