CLEVELAND — They’re the tiny mosquito-like flies you just hate to see. But the reality is, the season where we see them on everything from gas pumps and cars to tires and siding is almost here.
When we're not tracking spring rain on the Power of 5 Doppler Network, we're tracking swarms of midges riding the lakeshore from Toledo toward Cleveland.
Power of 5 meteorologist Trent Magill said every year when Lake Erie water gets to about 60 degrees, our tiny friends emerge from the lake.
We're getting closer... #WEWS #OHwx #GMCle pic.twitter.com/VzH8B9RgEx
— Trent Magill (@TrentMWeather) May 7, 2021
Right now it’s closer to 52 degrees. In Toledo, the temperature is 57 degrees so it’s just a matter of time until the midges hatch overnight and make their way to our front doors.
Magill said it doesn't have to be 60 degrees for us to get them because they fly to Cleveland as soon as Toledo and the Lake Erie Islands get warm enough.
Midges do have a purpose and they are a sign of good health for Lake Erie. Midges are hatched from the lake when the water warms up in the spring. They provide food for fish and other aquatic life, according to the Lake County General Health District.
RELATED:The midges are back with a vengeance in Northeast Ohio, and they are sticking to everything
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