We are expecting 20-25 foot waves on the Lake Ontario shoreline tonight and winds as high as 65 mph after midnight. I live about 5 miles from the Ontario shore line. That if anything brings home to me the immensity of this storm. We are roughly 400 miles away from where Sandy is coming ashore in New Jersey. The winds are increasing as we speak as heavy rains fall. Our suburban street is flooded in parts.
Our power has already gone out once and come back – fortunately. Winds are supposed to be higher near the shore and later tonight into Tuesday morning. Schools are closed. I hear that similar large waves are expected on other Great Lakes, such as Lake Huron:
Strong winds churned the Great Lakes on Monday, driving waves on Lake Huron to 14 feet on their way to 26 feet or more, forecasters said, while the arrival of Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast canceled flights in southeastern Michigan.
The National Weather Service issued a storm warning for Lake Huron on Monday that called for wave heights of 26 feet, and possibly as high as 38 feet, as the winds peak around dawn Tuesday. Lake Michigan waves were expected to reach 19 feet, with a potential of 33 feet on Tuesday.
Also as far west as Lake Michigan and Chicago.
Officials had a simple warning as the Chicago area braced for high winds and waves from a massive storm along the East Coast.
“Stay off the lake folks,” said Gary Shenkel, executive director of Office of Emergency Management and Communication. “Lake winds are going to be 50 to 60 mph. Waves could exceed the 24-foot mark. So please stay off the lake … This could be a very dangerous situation.”
Keep safe everyone who resides in this larger than expected danger zone.
