One common factor has likely played a role in water levels plunging in the Detroit River and Lake Erie this fall, along with the running aground of two freighters in Detroit in November: wind.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers experts said that wind events impact water levels in Lake Erie and the Detroit River, where levels plunged 3.76 feet at Bar Point Shoal on Nov. 26. On the other side of Lake Erie, in Buffalo, New York, water levels rose about 4.6 feet, according to provisional data.

Two Canadian freighters ran aground in the Detroit River last month, one on Nov. 7 and the other on Nov. 26, but the U.S. Coast Guard is still investigating those incidents and hasn't released what caused them.

Army Corps spokesperson Brandon Hubbard said his understanding is that these vessels were anchore

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