Storm-force winds to sweep Great Lakes during blizzard, waves could top 25 feet
The incoming large-scale blizzard is forecast to be a heck of a storm for those of us living on Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas. But it will also be a doozy of a blow out on our Great Lakes.
Storm-force wind warnings covering Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Superior already have been issued by the National Weather Service. These Storm Warning-strength winds, which are higher than Gale Force winds – are to whip across the Great Lakes on Friday and into Saturday. Some of these wind gusts on Lake Superior could top out at nearly 70 mph, meaning they’d be approaching hurricane-force winds.
The waves being churned up by all this wind will be huge. The NWS meteorologists in Marquette expect waves up to 25 feet and some possibly higher on Lake Superior. That’s the same wave height as the monster storm that sent the famous Edmund Fitzgerald to the bottom in two pieces, with her 29 crew aboard, in 1975.
Waves could build to 19 feet in Lake Michigan along a stretch from Muskegon to South Haven. On Lake Huron, the biggest waves will be on the Canadian side of the lake. Lake Erie’s highest waves will be from the Cleveland area and east.
Back to Lake Superior, here’s what meteorologists from the NWS office in Marquette are forecasting:
“The wind stays at (17 to 34 mph) today before increasing to north gales tonight to (51 mph), and then storm force winds to (69 mph) through Saturday. The strong gale to (51 mph) drops off then by Sunday night. In addition to the winds, strong northerly winds will usher in cold air and a heavy freezing spray hazard and wind-driven waves in the eastern half could exceed 25 feet Saturday.”
“Mariners with passage plans through Lake Superior tonight through Monday should make the appropriate plans now to avoid these conditions.
Read the full report at this MLive link: https://www.mlive.com/news/2022/12/storm-force-winds-to-sweep-great-lakes-during-blizzard-waves-could-top-25-feet.html
Last saltie of season reaches Duluth
DULUTH — The last ocean-going ship, or “saltie,” of the 2022 shipping season passed under the Aerial Lift Bridge just after 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The 624-foot-long Federal Kushiro , which flies under the Marshall Islands flag and is owned by FedNav of Canada, will be loaded with approximately 23,000 short tons of wheat at Duluth’s Ceres-Riverland Ag grain terminal before departing for Italy, according to Jayson Hron, spokesperson for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.
Hron said the ship is expected to leave Duluth on Thursday, Dec. 22, which would tie with 1984, 2016 and 2019 as the latest departure date of an ocean-going vessel in port history.
The ship needs to get through the St. Lawrence Seaway System before it closes next week.
All ships need to be clear of the Seaway, which connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, by noon Eastern Standard Time on Dec. 31. The Seaway typically reopens in late March.
The Soo Locks, which connect Lake Superior to Lake Huron and the rest of the Great Lakes at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, are scheduled to close Jan. 15 and will reopen March 25.
Duluth News Tribune
The history of that ship in Port Credit and how it got to Mississauga
Long before it ended up as a breakwater in Mississauga, the SS Ridgetown plied the Great Lakes under a different name.
Originally named the SS William E. Corey, the ship was built by the Chicago Shipbuilding Company and was launched on June 24, 1905, according to Great Lakes Vessel History. The ship was a steel-hulled, propeller-driven Great Lakes freighter, which spent about 64 years on the lakes.
Today, she is the fourth-oldest surviving Great Lakes freighter, according to Heritage Mississauga.
Read the full story here: https://www.insauga.com/the-history-of-that-ship-in-port-credit-and-how-it-got-to-mississauga/
