Frozen Fury: The 1913 White HurricaneThe White Hurricane of 1913 was a storm so large that it ravaged the entire Great Lakes region and so intense that its 80-mph winds equaled those of a Caribbean hurricane.
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The “White Hurricane” of 1913. The storm's effects were devastating, with many ships and boats on the Great Lakes getting caught in the rough waters and sinking. The storm resulted in the loss of more than 250 lives and caused millions of dollars in damage. The White Hurricane of 1913 was a massive blizzard.
“Lake Erie, the smallest and shallowest of the five lakes, is also the filthiest; if every sewage pipe were turned off today, it would take 10 years for nature to purify Erie.
Most Dangerous Currents at Lake MichiganThese typically come from swimming at a beach with sandbars, which are a common feature around Lake Michigan. Rip currents are a constant danger in any sufficiently large body of water.
A wide temperature differential between water and air makes for a more stable atmosphere with calmer winds over the relatively cold water. However, as warming water closes the gap, as in Lake Superior's case, the atmosphere gets more turbulent.
But there can be more danger in these Great Lakes waves than what you'd find in the ocean. The Great Lakes are more than capable of generating waves over 10 feet high, despite being smaller than our oceans. This lack in size actually increases the danger over the water.
The Great Lakes are struggling under the combined weight of many ailments, from invasive species and toxic chemicals to the nutrient runoffs that fuel Lake Erie's chronic algae problem. And in many cases, climate change is making it worse.
Water levels in the Great Lakes have fluctuated since 1860. Over the last few decades, water levels have declined slightly for most of the Great Lakes (see Figure 1).
Mavericks Beach, CaliforniaMavericks Beach in Half Moon Bay, California is renowned for its powerful waves and is considered to have some of the largest surfable waves in the United States.
In contrast, wave heights on the Great Lakes are greatly limited. Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes, experiences the highest waves, topping out at about 30 feet. Marine forecasters at the National Weather Service office in Romeoville say the highest waves on Lake Michigan are 20-23 feet in height.