Heavy Freezing Spray Warning Issued for Lake Huron Waters Through Tuesday
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 2, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
The National Weather Service has issued a Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for Lake Huron, with rapid ice accumulation and 20-foot waves expected to create hazardous conditions for mariners.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Heavy Freezing Spray Warning
- Affected area
- Lake Huron
- Issued
- April 2, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Detroit
The warning type, named area, and issue time define this record. Confirm all three against the original agency notice before treating it as current.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Lake Huron.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Detroit/Pontiac MI has issued a Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for portions of Lake Huron. This alert is issued when conditions are favorable for rapid ice accumulation on vessels, which can lead to a catastrophic loss of stability. A Gale Warning is also in effect for the region.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following areas of Lake Huron from 5 nautical miles offshore to the US/Canadian border:
- Lake Huron from Sturgeon Point to Alabaster, MI
- Lake Huron from Port Austin to Harbor Beach
- Lake Huron from Harbor Beach to Port Sanilac
- Lake Huron from Port Sanilac to Port Huron
What You Should Do
Mariners should prepare for dangerous accumulation of ice on their vessels. The National Weather Service recommends remaining in port, seeking safe harbor, or altering course to avoid the warning area. Mariners should also secure vessels for hazardous conditions and be prepared for mechanical or electronic components to become inoperative due to freezing spray.
Expected Conditions
Heavy freezing spray is expected at a rate of 2 cm per hour or greater, which may rapidly accumulate on decks and superstructures. During the concurrent Gale Warning, sustained southwest winds up to 32 knots are expected, with gusts reaching 41 knots. Significant waves will reach 14 feet, with a potential maximum wave height of 20 feet. These conditions create a risk of capsizing and reduced visibility.
Timeline
The Heavy Freezing Spray Warning is effective from 2:00 PM EDT Monday, March 16, until 5:00 PM EDT Tuesday, March 17. Maximum winds are expected around 11:00 PM EDT Monday, with the largest waves forecast for approximately 3:00 AM EDT Tuesday.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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