Special Marine Warning Issued for Southern Lake Michigan Nearshore and Open Waters
This alert is no longer in effect.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 southern Lake Michigan until 5:30 PM CST as a strong thunderstorm brings 50-knot wind gusts to the region.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Southern Lake Michigan
- 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 Southern Lake Michigan.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Chicago IL has issued a Special Marine Warning for the nearshore and open waters of southern Lake Michigan. The alert was triggered by radar-indicated strong thunderstorms moving through the area.
Affected Areas
The warning encompasses the following maritime regions:
- Nearshore Waters: Northerly Island to Calumet Harbor, IL; Calumet Harbor to Michigan City, IN.
- Open Waters: Lake Michigan from Wilmette Harbor to Michigan City, extending from 5 nautical miles offshore to Mid Lake.
- Specific Locations: Indiana Harbor, Calumet Harbor, Burns Harbor, Marina Shores at Dune Harbor, and Hammond Marina.
What You Should Do
Mariners are urged to move to safe harbor immediately. Small craft could be damaged in briefly higher winds and suddenly higher waves. Boaters should remain in port until the hazardous weather conditions have passed.
Expected Conditions
At 4:25 PM CST, a strong thunderstorm was located over Indiana Harbor, moving northeast at 50 knots. The primary hazard identified is wind gusts reaching nearly 50 knots. These winds are expected to cause a sudden increase in wave height, creating dangerous conditions for vessels.
Timeline
The Special Marine Warning is effective immediately as of 4:25 PM CST on March 6, 2026. The alert is currently scheduled to expire at 5:30 PM CST.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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