Waves could break 20 feet on Lake Michigan today

On November 23, 2024By Littum

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The National Weather Service says a low pressure system and strong winds should kick up some notable waves over the next few days on Lake Michigan, including some that could potentially break 20 feet.

The National Weather Service updated its sea view Thursday morning. Winds could reach 45 knots, prompting a gale warning for Lake Michigan.

The warning divides the lake into two regions, a hypothetical line between Sheboygan, Wisconsin and Pentwater, Michigan. To the north, waves on Thursday should measure between 7 and 10 feet, with some reaching up to 13 feet. To the south, waves could build to 12 and 16 feet, potentially topping out at 21 feet.

According to the NWS, waves should remain strong for the next few days, but they will be strongest Thursday and Friday.

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In the southern region, waves should ease down to the 7 to 10 foot range Thursday night and pick up again Friday to between 10 and 14 feet.

Despite the warning, weather watchers shouldn’t expect any 21-footers to come down over West Michigan’s piers.

The ocean view focuses on waters more than five nautical miles from the coastline. While the waves will still be elevated, it is highly unlikely that they will be at that height when they reach the shore. Wind direction, topography and the shallow water tend to slow the waves as they approach.

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According to the NWS is largest recorded wave on record for Lake Michigan was 23 feet, caught by a mid-lake buoy about 40 miles east of Kenosha, Wis., on Sept. 30, 2011. But closer to shore, those waves measured in at about 17.6 feet.

That’s not to say they can’t happen. Especially one meteotsunami swept into Grand Haven on July 4, 1929, with a wave estimated at 20 feet, killing 10 people.

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