I thought it was in the late-'70s or early-'80s that they were saying we're headed toward another Ice Age. My, how things have changed.
A bridge over the entrance to the Milwaukee harbor was built in the '70s and between the time of design and completion, the water level rose so much that most freight ships couldn't pass under, so they had to dredge the entrance. More recently, the water level has changed drastically between low and high. In the late-'80s, I was on a boat with friends when we went to an event at the lakefront- we tied to the sea wall and climbed up the ladder on the wall; must have been over ten feet. Fast forward, a friends' boat was docked at a local yacht club and at some point, he had to add a step below the dock in order to step into the boat without dealing with a major height difference. Same boat and slip, ten years later, he had to add a step ON the dock, to allow stepping up to get into the boat. This past Winter, Lake Michigan didn't freeze and a bad storm rolled through with 50 MPH winds, along with 20 plus foot waves. The water is only a few feet below the top of the break walls on a calm day but when the wind comes from the East, Northeast or Southeast, it goes over the walls easily. No ice, high water level and high wind caused this- the place was so heavily damaged that they had no boats docking and then, COVID struck, so they basically lost most of the business they would have had. Still waiting on Federal aid (FEMA)- if it has come in, the County may have used it for something else.