Great Lakes Waves

I found this graphic on the Great Lakes Coastal Forecast page. It's showing the height of the waves on the lakes. What's interesting to see is how high the waves are on the southeastern sides of the lakes. The winds are very strong out of the northwest which is pushing the water up along the eastern shores of the lakes. As a result, big waves and coastal flooding. In fact, there are coastal flood warnings posted for the northern Indiana coast line.

This can be a dangerous time for marine traffic on the lakes. October and November is a period of time in which the seasons are in flux and big storms develop generating waves that can top 30 feet!. In 1975, a large gale blew across the lakes sinking the Edmund Fitzgerald. The Fitzgerald was the biggest freighter on the lakes at the time and sank without sending any distress calls. You can read much more about the Edmund Fitzgerald here. http://www.ssefo.com/info/storm.html