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Algae bloom for Lake Erie is expected to be severe this year, according to NOAA forecast

The bloom this year is expected to be much larger than last summer.
Credit: WTOL

This year's algae bloom in Lake Erie is expected to be severe this summer.

That's according to the latest algae bloom forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.

The forecast is contributed to the large amount of rainfall we've received this year, and the runoff because of it.

As heavy rains continued well into May, additional runoff will contribute phosphorus and nitrogen at higher levels than they have been in years.

The bloom this year is expected to be much larger than last summer and, if the forecast stays accurate, would be one of the most severe blooms since records began.

The first forecast for Lake Erie that NOAA put out this year had the bloom at moderate to severe.

READ MORE: Moderate to severe algae bloom is forecast for Lake Erie this summer

The forecast is for bloom size and does not forecast toxicity.

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