Lake Erie during Storms

[garbear]

On the Clarke in the 70s we left Conneaut in the fall and Lake Erie kicked up so quick we rolled and bounced so bad all the way across the Lake you had a hard time walking in the companion ways.

[Guest]

Living in Algonac during the early 1970s I had a neighbor that thought it would be nice to take his 28 foot cabin cruiser to Cedar Point. The weather on the way there was beautiful and the weather forecast for the next few days didn't indicate anything to worry about. However, on the second night he was there a small windstorm came through and curtailed his plans of leaving the following morning. Long story short his planned three day trip during into a week long adventure as it took a few days for the lake to calm. As far as I know, he never went back into Lake Erie, opting instead for a return to his more familiar haunts on Lake Huron.

[Ohio Bob]

As Guest noted above, the shallowness of the western basin creates challenges in how quickly storms impact the seas. It was also noted above the massive and rapid impacts from seiches. I boat on the Maumee River and western basin... we have had 6' - 8' changes in water levels in hours during and after sustained NE or SW winds. Add in another factor of the numerous dominant currents, especially around the island areas at the eastern end of the western basin, and you have the perfect recipe for "confused seas". This results not only in large variables in wave heights but direction as well. I have twice encountered rouge waves on the lake that were easily twice the size of the average wave.

[Guest]

Regarding Lake Erie stirring up quickly. I fish the Great Lakes a lot and Lake Erie is the lake that worries me the most. With the shallow water depth in the western end when the wind gets moving it gets ugly much quicker than Michigan or Huron (I don’t fish Superior or Ontario). It can go from flat calm to 4-5’ waves in an hour if the conditions are right (or wrong)

[Guest]

The National Weather Service will issue a Marine Advisory when conditions on Lake Erie are such that high winds from the southwest will affect the water levels in the Western Basin (area from the Islands to Detroit River). That can drop the water level by several feet and often results in vessels going to anchor.

And it doesn't have to be an extratropical cyclone, the drop in water levels can often be caused by the passage of thunderstorms with a strong gust front caused by an outflow boundary.

The Western Basin has an average depth of 30 feet, that's one of the reason's why it's often the first area of Lake Erie to freeze-up and require icebreaking for navigation.

- Brian

[Jared]

In looking at charts of Lake Erie there appears to be a lot of shallow areas that would ground deeply laden vessels. Do ships take special precautions during storms on the lake? It seems as if there would not be an abundance of sea room away from the normal navigation channels. I have always heard that the shallowness of Lake Erie causes it to become to quickest of the lakes to be stirred up. Is that true as well?

Typically not. In the western basin it can get a bit hairy during westerly gales and storms, but the channels are deep enough to prevent any serious groundings. They'll kick up a lot of mud and some logs but they still have some room. The St. Clair system is where there is no room for error.

Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair kick up very fast, but Lake Erie has a lot more room to build seas from the predominantly western winds. All that energy bouncing off the islands and the lake bottom turns into confused seas within hours. It will look like chocolate milk for a week before the sediment settles back down.

[Guest]

In looking at charts of Lake Erie there appears to be a lot of shallow areas that would ground deeply laden vessels. Do ships take special precautions during storms on the lake? It seems as if there would not be an abundance of sea room away from the normal navigation channels. I have always heard that the shallowness of Lake Erie causes it to become to quickest of the lakes to be stirred up. Is that true as well?