"When the Gales of November Come Early"

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Very strong winds are likely in the brown-shaded areas and I'm concerned that some of the local forecasts are underforecasting wind speeds with this event along with its duration. There will be gusts above 50 mph in some areas. On the lakes, especially Lake Superior and northern Lake Michigan, gusts above 60 mph are likely and marine storm warnings are in effect. The strong winds will start tonight and persist into at least tomorrow night.

The title of this posting refers to the lyrics of Gordon Lightfoot's immortal Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The lyrics are here. It tells the story of the 1975 storm that sunk the giant ore carrier. You can listen and follow the lyrics by clicking here.

UPDATE:  Per the NWS in Chicago this storm will have lower barometric pressures (and, likely, stronger winds) than the Edmund Fitzgerald storm. Here is the list. Barometric pressure in inches of mercury (the way it is conveyed on TV) is the last column.


PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT   
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL  
1030 AM CDT MON OCT 25 2010  
  
HOW THE UPCOMING CYCLONE RANKS AMONG OTHER NOTABLE CYCLONES 
OVER THE GREAT LAKES.    
  
RANK        EVENT             DATE        MINIMUM PRESSURE   
  
1.   GREAT OHIO BLIZZARD     1/26/1978          28.05 IN 
  
2.   UPCOMING EVENT         10/26-27/2010       28.35 IN
  
3.   ARMISTICE DAY STORM     11/11/1940         28.55 IN
     ANNIVERSARY STORM       11/10/1998         28.55 IN
  
4.   CYCLONE OF 1913         11/7-9/1913        28.60 IN
    /AKA WHITE HURRICANE/     
  
5.   EDMUND FITZGERALD STORM  11/10/1975        28.95 IN  
  

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 27, 2010 at 9:41 PM

    I live on a sand dune between Holland and Grand Haven, MI...it's one of the worst nights I've seen here in my 15 years in this house. Sitting with my dog in the conservatory watching Game 1 of the World Series, and finally realized we needed to leave the room and go to an interior room. Praying my husband arrives home safely from his bridge game in Holland tonight!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mike SmithOctober 28, 2010 at 1:26 AM

    So sorry to hear it. Good luck!
    Mike

    ReplyDelete

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