Special Marine Warning Issued for Lake Michigan Nearshore and Open Waters Through 10:30 PM
This alert is no longer in effect.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.
The National Weather Service has issued a Special Marine Warning for Lake Michigan waters from Winthrop Harbor to Michigan City as strong thunderstorms bring 40-knot wind gusts and small hail.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Lake Michigan (Illinois and Indiana Shorelines)
- 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 (Illinois and Indiana Shorelines).
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Chicago IL has issued a Special Marine Warning for the nearshore and open waters of Lake Michigan. This alert is effective immediately following the detection of strong thunderstorms in the area.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following maritime regions:
- Nearshore Waters: Winthrop Harbor to Calumet Harbor, and Calumet Harbor to Michigan City.
- Open Waters: Winthrop Harbor to Michigan City out to Mid Lake.
Specific locations impacted include Harrison-Dever Crib, Wilmette Harbor, 31st Street Harbor, Monroe Harbor, Burns Harbor, Calumet Harbor, Indiana Harbor, Montrose Harbor, Burnham Harbor, Hammond Marina, Jackson Park Harbor, and Belmont Harbor.
What You Should Do
Mariners and residents in the affected areas should move to safe harbor immediately. Stay in port until the hazardous weather conditions have passed. Additionally, a Tornado Watch remains in effect until 11:00 PM CDT for northwestern Indiana.
Expected Conditions
At 9:04 PM CDT, radar indicated a line of strong thunderstorms extending from near Montrose Harbor to 6 nautical miles south of Midway Airport. These storms are moving northeast at 35 knots.
Primary Hazards:
- Wind: Gusts up to 40 knots.
- Hail: Small hail is expected.
- Impact: Small craft could be damaged by briefly higher winds and suddenly higher waves.
Timeline
- Issued: 9:04 PM CDT, March 10
- Effective: Immediately
- Expiration: 10:30 PM CDT, March 10
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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