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Sanford Lake is a reservoir located in Michigan.
Updated
No active alerts for this lake as of the last check (Oct 10, 11:58 PM EDT). Alerts are re-checked automatically; see the official source for updates.
Overall Good (85/100) across 4 activities. Best right now: Fishing (87/100).
How the score is calculated →Best excellent fishing window, averaging 93/100 across these hours. Wind 2 mph from the south-southwest. Dawn hours (06:00 local). Derived from the hourly forecast; official alerts are not forecast and are checked separately.
| Metric | 3a | 4a | 5a | 6a | 7a | 8a | 9a | 10a | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p | 8p | 9p | 10p | 11p | 12a | 1a | 2a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 63° | 62° | 62° | 61° | 60° | 58° | 58° | 56° | 55° | 55° | 57° | 61° | 64° | 67° | 70° | 71° | 72° | 73° | 72° | 71° | 68° | 64° | 61° | 59° |
| Wind (kts) | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Direction | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | SE | SE | SE | S | S | S | SE | SE | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| Gusts (kts) | 17 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Precip % | 0% | 1% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Time | Temp | Wind | Gusts | Precip | Cloud | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, 11 PM EDT | 63°F | 8 mph SSE (158°) | 20 mph | 0% | 72% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 12 AM EDT | 62°F | 7 mph S (180°) | 18 mph | 1% | 81% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 1 AM EDT | 62°F | 6 mph S (180°) | 16 mph | 1% | 72% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 2 AM EDT | 61°F | 5 mph S (180°) | 14 mph | 0% | 76% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 3 AM EDT | 60°F | 3 mph S (180°) | 13 mph | 1% | 85% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 4 AM EDT | 58°F | 3 mph S (180°) | 12 mph | 1% | 79% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 5 AM EDT | 58°F | 3 mph S (180°) | 10 mph | 1% | 86% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 6 AM EDT | 56°F | 2 mph SSE (158°) | 9 mph | 1% | 77% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 7 AM EDT | 55°F | 2 mph SE (135°) | 8 mph | 1% | 67% | Partly Sunny |
| Sun, 8 AM EDT | 55°F | 2 mph SE (135°) | 7 mph | 3% | 62% | Partly Sunny |
| Sun, 9 AM EDT | 57°F | 3 mph SE (135°) | 9 mph | 3% | 49% | Mostly Sunny |
| Sun, 10 AM EDT | 61°F | 3 mph SSE (158°) | 9 mph | 3% | 63% | Partly Sunny |
| Sun, 11 AM EDT | 64°F | 5 mph SSE (158°) | 10 mph | 3% | 55% | Partly Sunny |
| Sun, 12 PM EDT | 67°F | 5 mph SSE (158°) | 10 mph | 3% | 46% | Mostly Sunny |
| Sun, 1 PM EDT | 70°F | 5 mph SE (135°) | 10 mph | 4% | 55% | Partly Sunny |
| Sun, 2 PM EDT | 71°F | 5 mph SE (135°) | 10 mph | 4% | 44% | Mostly Sunny |
| Sun, 3 PM EDT | 72°F | 5 mph SSE (158°) | 9 mph | 3% | 33% | Mostly Sunny |
| Sun, 4 PM EDT | 73°F | 5 mph SSE (158°) | 9 mph | 3% | 33% | Mostly Sunny |
| Sun, 5 PM EDT | 72°F | 3 mph SSE (158°) | 8 mph | 2% | 18% | Sunny |
| Sun, 6 PM EDT | 71°F | 3 mph SSE (158°) | 7 mph | 0% | 7% | Mostly Clear |
| Sun, 7 PM EDT | 68°F | 2 mph SSE (158°) | 7 mph | 0% | 16% | Mostly Clear |
| Sun, 8 PM EDT | 64°F | 2 mph S (180°) | 6 mph | 0% | 15% | Mostly Clear |
| Sun, 9 PM EDT | 61°F | 1 mph S (180°) | 5 mph | 0% | 0% | Clear |
| Sun, 10 PM EDT | 59°F | 1 mph S (180°) | 5 mph | 0% | 1% | Clear |
| Sun, 11 PM EDT | 58°F | 1 mph SSW (203°) | 5 mph | 0% | 1% | Clear |
Official National Weather Service hourly forecast. Showing 10 of 25 hours. Wind arrows point the way the wind is blowing; the compass point and degrees show where it comes from.
| Period | Tonight October 10, 2026 | Sunday October 11, 2026 | Sunday Night October 11, 2026 | Columbus Day October 12, 2026 | Monday Night October 12, 2026 | Tuesday October 13, 2026 | Tuesday Night October 13, 2026 | Wednesday October 14, 2026 | Wednesday Night October 14, 2026 | Thursday October 15, 2026 | Thursday Night October 15, 2026 | Friday October 16, 2026 | Friday Night October 16, 2026 | Saturday October 17, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 55° | 74° | 51° | 80° | 60° | 75° | 50° | 66° | 44° | 65° | 43° | 62° | 37° | 55° |
| Wind | SSE 3 to 8 mph | SSE 5 mph | SSW 3 mph | SW 2 to 9 mph | SW 5 to 8 mph | W 5 to 12 mph | NW 3 to 12 mph | NNW 3 to 7 mph | NNE 6 mph | ENE 3 to 10 mph | SE 6 to 10 mph | SW 8 to 16 mph | WNW 9 to 17 mph | NW 9 to 13 mph |
| Gusts | 21 mph | 10 mph | 8 mph | 18 mph | 18 mph | 22 mph | 21 mph | 13 mph | 13 mph | 20 mph | 21 mph | 29 mph | 29 mph | 20 mph |
| Precip % | 1% | 4% | 0% | 6% | 63% | 63% | 11% | 11% | 16% | 31% | 37% | 33% | 20% | 10% |
| Forecast |
Good for fishing (87/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 8 mph from the south-southeast. 0% chance of precipitation. Not available from a verified source for this lake: pressure trend, water temperature. Confidence is moderate (74%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Good for boating (85/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 8 mph from the south-southeast. No active official alerts for this lake. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility and conditions, verified water access. Confidence is moderate (84%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Good for sailing (84/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 8 mph from the SSE is in the preferred sailing range. No active official alerts for this lake. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility. Confidence is high (88%).
Good for kayaking (84/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 8 mph from the south-southeast. No active official alerts for this lake. Confidence is high (90%).
Water temperature is not available from a verified source for this lake. No swimming score is shown without it.
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Individual boat ramp GPS coordinates are maintained under the jurisdiction of MI Parks & Wildlife Authority. Public boaters should verify seasonal launch water levels, gate hours, and daily vehicle/vessel fees before traveling.
Sanford Lake in MI is a popular freshwater reservoir known for its welcoming public recreation, scenic beauty, and dependable sport fishing. Multiple public access sites allow easy launching for trailered boats and personal watercraft. Park facilities and regional fisheries management are overseen by state and local natural resource agencies.
Valid freshwater sport fishing license issued by Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) is required for anglers age 17+. Digital license on mobile is accepted.
Current motorized watercraft registration mandatory. Practice Clean, Drain & Dry protocols: drain all livewells and inspect props before launching. Life jackets required for all passengers.
Public shoreline and boating access managed by State & Local Authorities. Verify seasonal gate hours, launch fees, and parking rules before travel.
High-speed motorboating, pontoon cruising, wakeboarding, and water skiing across main channels. Target gamefish include Green Sunfish, Rock Bass, Bluegill, Common Carp. Morning hours typically provide optimal glassy conditions for kayak and stand-up paddleboard (SUP) touring.
Warm water temperatures, peak swimming, active watersports, and open full-service campgrounds. Highest weekly attendance; plan early arrivals on summer weekends.
Spring pre-spawn and fall feeding transitions create prime trophy angling conditions. Cooler air, lower boat traffic, and vibrant seasonal shoreline foliage.
Northern cold winter conditions with freezing air temperatures and potential surface ice formation. Ramps and water systems may be winterized. Confirm open status before visiting.
No external source rows are cited by the data currently shown on this page.
Updated
Scores are heuristics, not safety guarantees. LakeRadar scores summarize available conditions and are not a substitute for official warnings, local rules, or on-water judgment.
All telemetry for Sanford Lake is synchronized directly from authorized federal and state monitoring networks (USGS, NWS, NOAA, and state environmental authorities). Observations are strictly instrumented readings — unmonitored sensors are transparently disclosed rather than synthetic estimates.
Last source audit: Oct 10, 11:58 PM EDT