This brief bulletin is published jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Environment Canada and summarizes the latest season’s weather and water level conditions and weather and water level-related impacts over the Great Lakes, and provides an outlook for the upcoming quarter. The report covers topics including temperature, precipitation, water levels, drought, storm impacts, and ice cover, and is published roughly four weeks after the end of each season in March, June, September, and December covering Winter (December–February), Spring (March–May), Summer (June–August), and Fall (September–November).

The geographic scope covers the Great Lakes basin and includes the international portion of the St. Lawrence River: part or all of eight U.S. states—Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.