Introduction
Lake Michigan sailors have had a challenging summer. In mid-July, competitors in the Chicago-Mac were treated to a rare type of downburst known as heat burst (or dry downburst) near Milwaukee late on Saturday night (click here for the summary). Three weeks later, sailors at the T-10 North American Championship near Chicago had an encounter with a different kind of downburst, one that blasted the fleet with hurricane-force winds. These downbursts, while similar in some ways, are very different in others. The downburst at the T-10 Nationals offers an opportunity to introduce a pair of relatively unknown Doppler weather radar products – storm heights (echo tops) and vertically integrated liquid (VIL) – that can help shed light on the evolution of an approaching thunderstorm.
Tag Archives: Lake Michigan
Chicago Yacht Club’s Race To Mackinac Climatology
Introduction
The Chicago Yacht Club’s Race to Mackinac is a little over two weeks away. It’s too early to begin working on your weather forecast. However, reviewing the long-term average conditions on Lake Michigan during July is great way to set the stage for a weather forecast, particularly for if you are participating in the Race for the first time.
Wind and Wave Observations
The National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) maintains two floating discus bouys in Lake Michigan. Buoy 45002 is located in the northern basin north of the Manitou islands, while buoy 45007 is located in southern Lake Michigan approximately 43 nautical miles southeast of Milwaukee, Wisconsion (click here for a map of Lake Michigan).
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