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For a listing on the national scale of maximum winds, as well as highest rainfall and snowfall totals, please see this Storm Summary from the NWS Weather Prediction Center.
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October 30th, 9 am: Surface Weather Map with Observations Overlaid |
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Sea-level pressure is the image. The contours are pressures every 4 mb. The impressively tight gradient extends far west of the center of circulation of Sandy's remnants, all the way to Lake Michigan in fact. The pressure gradient force is dominant in causing air to move, or creating wind, and this was very strong at this time. |
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October 30th 4 am - 11 am GOES Satellite Infrared/Water Vapor Combination Loop |
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The massive extent to the circulation of Sandy was potentially one for the record books. This loop shows the circulation center accelerating into New Jersey. The upper atmospheric drier and cooler air (indicated by lighter shades) wraps into the system from the south and east after it makes landfall, which is a sign of the ongoing phasing with an upper level trough at that time. This trough had brought the Great Lakes region the below normal temperatures late last week into this week. This phasing of system led to the strong winds being prolonged for a long period of time and over a significantly large area. |
While tropical cyclones rarely come as far north and west as northern Illinois and Indiana such as Isaac had in September, tropical cyclones can still have impacts on the local area even when remaining over a thousand miles away. A tropical system, or its remnants that become "extratropical", can have a massive radius of influence on the weather pattern, such as Sandy did. Because of their size and depth, they can alter, shift, or slow a typical jet stream regime, changing the progress of other weather systems. Sandy did just that. It blocked the strong west to northwest flow that is usually developing this time of year, and led the pattern to be blocked over the area. This kept the cooler than normal temperatures in place, along with halting any other weather systems. This actually kept northern Illinois dry for several days and will continue to through the latter part of the week.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 1134 PM CDT TUE OCT 30 2012 /1234 AM EDT WED OCT 31 2012/ ...HIGHEST OBSERVED WINDS FROM LAKE MICHIGAN...NORTHWEST INDIANA... AND NORTHEAST ILLINOIS FROM REMNANTS OF SANDY... MARITIME... ...LOCATION... ...TIME... ...WIND... 3 WNW MICHIGAN CITY (70 FT) 845 AM OCT 30 69 MPH CHICAGO HARRISON-DEVER CRIB (85 FT) 830 AM OCT 30 58 MPH SOUTH BUOY 950 AM OCT 30 56 MPH 4 NE EAST CHICAGO (SHIP) 500 AM OCT 30 54 MPH BURNS HARBOR 850 AM OCT 30 52 MPH NORTH BUOY 450 PM OCT 30 49 MPH WAUKEGAN HARBOR 940 AM OCT 30 42 MPH LAND... GARY REGIONAL AIRPORT (LAKE IN) 1145 AM OCT 30 60 MPH 1 WNW NEW CHICAGO (LAKE IN) 134 AM OCT 30 50 MPH PORTER COUNTY MUNICIPAL AIRPORT 707 AM OCT 30 49 MPH 2 SW VALPARAISO (PORTER IN) 632 AM OCT 30 49 MPH 2 WNW BURNHAM (COOK IL) 100 AM OCT 30 47 MPH EAST CHICAGO (LAKE IN) 1242 AM OCT 30 45 MPH LOCKPORT (WILL IL) 1100 AM OCT 30 44 MPH 2 E LAKEMOOR (LAKE IL) 735 AM OCT 30 44 MPH 2 SE HOBART (LAKE IN) 716 AM OCT 30 44 MPH CHICAGO MIDWAY AIRPORT (COOK IL) 1051 AM OCT 30 43 MPH 2 W CHICAGO (COOK IL) 1218 PM OCT 30 43 MPH 1 SE SOUTH CHICAGO (COOK IL) 1112 PM OCT 29 42 MPH 1 WSW EAST CHICAGO (LAKE IN) 125 AM OCT 30 41 MPH SOUTH HOLLAND (COOK IL) 100 PM OCT 30 40 MPH OBSERVATIONS ARE COLLECTED FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES WITH VARYING EQUIPMENT AND EXPOSURES. NOT ALL DATA LISTED IS CONSIDERED OFFICIAL. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE THANKS ITS PRIVATE AND PUBLIC PARTNERS FOR PROVIDING US WITH THIS DATA. $$
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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 1208 AM CDT WED OCT 31 2012 /108 AM EDT WED OCT 31 2012/ ...NEAR RECORD WAVE HEIGHTS ON SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN... THE 12 PM OCTOBER 30TH OBSERVATION FOR THE SOUTH MID-LAKE BUOY...WHICH IS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 43 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF MILWAUKEE...RECORDED WAVES OF 21.7 FT. THIS STORM RANKS AS SECOND HIGHEST WITH RESPECT TO WAVES EVER RECORDED AT THE SOUTH MID-LAKE BUOY.
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Rank |
Storm Date |
Peak Wave |
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1 |
9/30/2011 |
22.9 ft |
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2 |
10/30/2012 |
21.7 ft |
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3 |
11/11/1998 |
20.3 ft |
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4 |
10/20/2011 |
19.2 ft |
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5 |
9/23/1989 |
18.4 ft |
RECORDS FOR THE SOUTH MID-LAKE BUOY DATE BACK TO 1981...HOWEVER THE BUOY IS ONLY DEPLOYED SEASONALLY TYPICALLY FROM EARLY SPRING THROUGH LATE FALL.IT IS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE THAT LARGER WAVES COULD HAVE OCCURRED ON LAKE MICHIGAN DURING THE WINTER WHEN THE BUOY WAS NOT DEPLOYED...SO THESE VALUES REPRESENT THE HIGHEST VALUES ON RECORD. WHAT MAKES THE STORM EVEN MORE REMARKABLE IS THE DURATION OF EXTREMELY HIGH WAVES. AT THE SOUTH BUOY EVERY HOURLY OBSERVATION FROM 5 AM THROUGH 2 PM ON OCTOBER 30TH HAD WAVE HEIGHTS OF 18 FT OR GREATER...WHICH IS TEN HOURS OF 18 FOOT WAVES. GOING BACK THROUGH THE 31 YEARS OF ARCHIVED DATA FROM THE MID-LAKE SOUTH BUOY...THIS IS A NEW RECORD FOR MOST NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE HOURLY OBSERVATIONS WITH WAVES 18 FEET OR GREATER SURPASSING THE NOVEMBER 10-11 1998 EVENT WHEN THERE WERE SEVEN CONSECUTIVE HOURLY OBSERVATIONS WITH WAVES 18 FEET OR GREATER. OCTOBER 30TH ALSO SAW THREE MORE HOURS OF 18 FT OR HIGHER WAVES LATER IN THE DAY...MAKING 13 HOURS TOTAL. PRIOR TO OCTOBER 30TH THERE HAD ONLY BEEN 15 HOURLY OBSERVATIONS WITH WAVE HEIGHTS OF 18 FEET OR HIGHER ON RECORD...WHICH REALLY SPEAKS TO HOW REMARKABLE THE WAVES WERE WITH THIS STORM. $$ IZZI/MTF
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North Buoy Observations |
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Winds and Air Pressure |
Wave Heights |
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South Buoy Observations - Second Highest Observed Waves on Record |
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Winds and Air Pressure |
Wave Heights |
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As a result of the prolonged north winds, the Lake Michigan water levels rose substantially as well. Lake levels had been running several inches below normal. These then rose to a peak of nearly 10" above normal from Monday into early Tuesday. Here is an image from early Tuesday afternoon showing the change in Lake Michigan water levels from Calumet Harbor, IL.
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Just north of 31st St Beach in Chicago Photo courtesy of William Ruting |
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Michigan City Photo taken by the Michigan City Police Department |
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
1000 AM CDT WED OCT 31 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0500 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 8 ENE EAST CHICAGO 41.69N 87.31W
10/30/2012 M54.00 MPH LMZ744 IN SHIP
0540 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG DUNE ACRES 41.64N 87.10W
10/30/2012 PORTER IN PARK/FOREST SRVC
12-14 INCH DIAMETER TREE BLOCKING ROUTE 49, INSIDE
INDIANA DUNES STATE PARK IN CHESTERTON. ALSO 3 SMALL
TREES DOWN ACROSS IDSP ROADS.
0730 AM NON-TSTM WND GST CHESTERTON 41.60N 87.06W
10/30/2012 M50.00 MPH PORTER IN TRAINED SPOTTER
NEAR INDIANA DUNES. ALSO ESTIMATED WAVES AT 8 TO 12 FT.
0800 AM COASTAL FLOOD CHICAGO 41.88N 87.63W
10/30/2012 COOK IL LAW ENFORCEMENT
BIKE PATH NEAR THE LAKE MICHIGAN SHORE FLOODED IN AREAS.
NEARBY PARK AND BEACH AREAS FLOODED.
0830 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 NE CHICAGO 41.92N 87.57W
10/30/2012 M58.00 MPH LMZ741 IL C-MAN STATION
MEASURED AT HARRISON-DEVER CRIB.
0845 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 NNE TOWN OF PINES 41.72N 86.94W
10/30/2012 M69.00 MPH LMZ745 IN C-MAN STATION
60KT GUST AT MICHIGAN CITY INDIANA...MCYI3
0900 AM COASTAL FLOOD 4 ENE DUNE ACRES 41.67N 87.03W
10/30/2012 PORTER IN BROADCAST MEDIA
WATER UP TO THE STAIRS THAT LEAD TO THE BEACH AT BROADWAY
ST AND LAKE FRONT DR. BEACH AT THIS LOCATION IN BEVERLY
SHORES IS APPROXIMATELY 100 YARDS WIDE.
0930 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG DUNE ACRES 41.64N 87.10W
10/30/2012 PORTER IN PARK/FOREST SRVC
12 VEHICLE STORAGE BUILDING AT INDIANA DUNES STATE PARK
HQ HAD ROOF TORN OFF AND REAR WALL COLLAPSED. DAMAGE TO 4
VEHICLES.
1145 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 WNW GARY 41.62N 87.42W
10/30/2012 M60.00 MPH LAKE IN AWOS
MEASURED AT GARY AIRPORT.
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