Special Marine Warning Issued for Lake Michigan from Wilmette Harbor to Michigan City
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 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.
NWS Chicago has issued a Special Marine Warning for Lake Michigan waters until 12:30 AM CDT Wednesday, citing severe thunderstorms with 34-knot wind gusts and large hail.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Lake Michigan (Wilmette Harbor to Michigan City)
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Chicago
Marine notices apply to named waters or shoreline zones. They may not describe conditions on land, even when the nearest place name is the same.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Lake Michigan (Wilmette Harbor to Michigan City).
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Chicago has issued a Special Marine Warning for the nearshore and open waters of Lake Michigan. The alert was issued at 10:34 PM CDT on March 10 and remains in effect until 12:30 AM CDT on March 11.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following geographic regions:
- Nearshore waters from Wilmette Harbor to Calumet Harbor, IL
- Nearshore waters from Calumet Harbor, IL to Michigan City, IN
- Open waters from Wilmette Harbor to Michigan City out to Mid Lake
Specific locations impacted include Harrison-Dever Crib, 31st Street Harbor, Monroe Harbor, Burns Harbor, Calumet Harbor, Indiana Harbor, Montrose Harbor, Burnham Harbor, Hammond Marina, Jackson Park Harbor, Marina Shores at Dune Harbor, and 59th Street Marina.
What You Should Do
Mariners and residents in the affected areas are advised to avoid the water. Small craft could be damaged in briefly higher winds and suddenly higher waves. Large hail could result in structural damage. Additionally, a Tornado Watch remains in effect until 11:00 PM CDT for northwestern Indiana.
Expected Conditions
Radar indicates strong to severe thunderstorms located along a line from Schaumburg to Morris, Illinois, moving east-northeast at 40 knots. The primary hazards include wind gusts of 34 knots or greater and large hail.
Timeline
The Special Marine Warning is effective immediately as of 10:34 PM CDT and is scheduled to expire at 12:30 AM CDT on March 11.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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