CLEVELAND — They're back, and they're everywhere.

A fresh swarm of midges has descended on Northeast Ohio this week, coating cars, windows, buildings, and anything else in their path. The tiny, non-biting insects are creating quite a spectacle along the Lake Erie shoreline and beyond.

But why are we seeing them now, in mid-October?

Warm fall keeps midges hatching

"We've had a really long, warm, moderate fall," says Bethany Beshire, senior manager of nature center operations for Cleveland Metroparks. "And that's allowed the water temperatures out on the lake to stay in that lower 60s range."

Those warm water temperatures — currently hovering around 65 to 66 degrees near Cleveland, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — mean midge larvae at the bottom of La

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