Dear Tom,
I contend that waves on Lake Michigan have exceeded 10 feet, but my friend from Long Island claims lake waves cannot get that large. Who is right?
Kevin Fournier
Dear Kevin,
You are correct, but the 10-foot height is low, off by a factor of two. A consensus of experienced Lake Michigan forecasters places the maximum wave height on the lake at just over 20 feet.
High winds blowing across the virtually unlimited expanse of the world’s oceans can generate waves in excess of 50 feet, and 100 feet in extreme cases, but waves on Lake Michigan are limited by its 325-mile north-south length. The lake’s highest waves typically develop at the south end during the late fall storm season, when very strong north winds blow arctic air down the full fetch of the lake’s still-warm waters.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
