Over the past six years, rip currents have claimed an average of 8 people a year in the Great Lakes. Around the nation, over 100 people each year drown due to rip currents.
All this week, the Northern Indiana National Weather Service Office is raising awareness of what these tides can do.
If you’ve ever been in Lake Michigan you probably noticed a couple of things…it’s cold, and it has some pretty strong currents. Sometimes those currents can be rip currents.
Basically a rip current is a current of water that is moving quickly out to open water. They are created when breaking waves are pushed onshore and gravity pulls water back out into the open water. When that water converges to create a river-like flow, it’s called a rip current. I have attached a picture to illustrate what I mean. Rip currents can be between 50 feet and 50 yards in width and move as fast as 5mph. That may not seem fast, but it’s strong enough to pull out even the strongest swimmer.
Rip currents are likely to form when there is a lot of water being pushed onshore due to windy conditions. They also form between sand bars and near structures like piers and jetties.
If ever caught in one of these, the first thing to do is NOT panic! Easy to say, not easy to do. As long as you remain calm, you will have the energy needed to swim out of the current. It’s advised to swim parallel to shore until out of the current. At that point, you can swim back to shore.
The NWS does supply Surf Zone Forecasts and I have attached the link here.
Be safe this summer!
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This post was written by Ken on June 10, 2009
Did not know Great Lakes developed rip currents?
It all has to do with the wind. Smaller lakes tend to not have as much surface area and thus not as much water is pushed up against the shore. The Great Lakes are much, much bigger. When the wind blows, it can really push a lot of water around. When that much water is pushed against the shore, it has to find a way out and that’s why rip currents can be generated in the lakes. Always a good idea to check out the surf report before going in!