Lakes Michigan and Huron have picked up Michigan's heating tab for September. The lakes store warmth this time of year, and without them Saturday morning, Sept. 26, would have been much colder, MLive reported Sept. 25. The bill comes due in January, in full, as lake-effect snow.

Surface water on both lakes was running 55 to 67 degrees, according to MLive. For Saturday morning, MLive's forecast had most of Lower Michigan waking up in the 40s, with some cold spots in the upper 30s, while the air over the lakes cooled only to the 60s. Even notoriously cold Lake Superior was still in the 50s and low 60s. For Lake Superior, that counts as a warm hug.

"Nothing from Lake Michigan is free," said Gordy Zwemstra, 67, a Grandville retiree who keeps a snow shovel by the back door year-round as a gesture of respect. "It lends you a nice September, then in January it sends one band of snow over your driveway specifically and skips the neighbor. That is not weather. That is a collections department."

A spokesperson for the Lake Michigan Office of Accounts Receivable, which operates out of a buoy and does not exist, confirmed that September warmth is "extended as a courtesy." Eventually, MLive noted, you can also blame the lakes for some heavy snow in winter and some bone-chilling cold in March and April. Expect the cold to arrive the exact week residents put the patio furniture back out. Thanks to the lakes, Traverse City has the same plant hardiness zone as Cincinnati, according to MLive. Every up-north cabin owner will now mention this at dinner whether or not anyone asked.

Locals are encouraged to enjoy the frost-free fall while it lasts. The lakes would like everyone to know they accept payment in shoveling only, and they have already picked out the driveways.

The Great Lakes work as a giant storage container for warmth this time of year, MLive meteorologist Mark Torregrossa reported Sept. 25, 2026. Lakes Michigan and Huron had surface water temperatures of 55 to 67 degrees, and even the notoriously cold Lake Superior was in the 50s and low 60s. For the chilly morning of Saturday, Sept. 26, most of Lower Michigan was expected to wake up in the 40s, with some cold spots in the upper 30s, while air over the lakes cooled only to the 60s. That warm water sends mild air over land. Without the lakes, Michigan would see much earlier frosts, and its USDA plant hardiness zones would not be grouped with warmer areas of Indiana and Ohio. Traverse City is in the same plant hardiness zone as Cincinnati. If you have enjoyed mild fall weather without frost so far, MLive says to thank Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior. The bill comes later: MLive says to eventually blame the lakes for some heavy snow in winter and some bone-chilling cold in March and April.

Reality Check: read the real story from MLive

Correction, Sept. 29, 2026: An earlier version misstated MLive's forecast for air temperatures over the lakes.

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