Storm Warning Issued for Northern Lake Michigan: Severe Waves and Heavy Freezing Spray Forecast
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on March 31, 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 Milwaukee/Sullivan WI has issued a Storm Warning for northern Lake Michigan, with waves up to 21 feet and heavy freezing spray posing a catastrophic risk to vessels through Monday.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Storm Warning
- Affected area
- Northern Lake Michigan
- Issued
- March 31, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Milwaukee
Storm notices can cover different combinations of wind, hail, lightning, and rainfall. Use the original notice for the hazards and boundaries attached to this specific record.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Northern Lake Michigan.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service (NWS) Milwaukee/Sullivan WI has issued a Storm Warning for the open waters of Lake Michigan. This alert is part of a series of hazardous weather notifications that also include a Gale Warning and a Heavy Freezing Spray Warning.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the northern two-thirds of the open waters of Lake Michigan. Specific zones include:
- Seul Choix Point to Rock Island Passage (5NM offshore to Mid Lake)
- South of Seul Choix Point to the Mackinac Bridge
- North of a line from Charlevoix, MI to South Fox Island
- Charlevoix to Point Betsie, MI (5NM offshore to Mid Lake)
- Point Betsie to Manistee, MI (5NM offshore to Mid Lake)
- Rock Island Passage to Sturgeon Bay, WI (5NM offshore to Mid Lake)
- Sturgeon Bay to Two Rivers, WI (5NM offshore to Mid Lake)
- Two Rivers to Sheboygan, WI (5NM offshore to Mid Lake)
- Sheboygan to Port Washington, WI (5NM offshore to Mid Lake)
- Port Washington to North Point Light, WI (5NM offshore to Mid Lake)
- Pentwater to Manistee, MI (5NM offshore to Mid Lake)
- Whitehall to Pentwater, MI (5NM offshore to Mid Lake)
- Grand Haven to Whitehall, MI (5NM offshore to Mid Lake)
What You Should Do
Mariners are advised to remain in port, alter course, or secure their vessels for severe conditions. It is critical to prepare for dangerous ice accumulation. If possible, avoid the warning area entirely or conduct immediate mitigation to prevent ice-related hazards.
Expected Conditions
- Storm Warning: North winds of 30 to 40 knots are expected, with gusts reaching up to 50 knots. Wave heights are forecast to reach between 16 and 21 feet.
- Gale Warning: East winds of 25 to 35 knots with gusts up to 50 knots and waves of 7 to 12 feet.
- Heavy Freezing Spray: Accumulation rates of 2 cm per hour or greater are expected. This can lead to rapid ice accretion on decks and superstructures, potentially resulting in a catastrophic loss of stability or rendering mechanical and electronic components inoperative.
Timeline
- Gale Warning: Effective from 3:00 AM to 7:00 PM CDT Sunday, March 15.
- Storm Warning: Effective from 7:00 PM Sunday, March 15, until 10:00 PM CDT Monday, March 16.
- Heavy Freezing Spray Warning: Effective from 4:00 AM Monday, March 16, until 11:00 AM CDT Tuesday, March 17.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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