High Wind, Lake
- When
- March 20, 3:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Lake forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Coordinates
- 42.349, -87.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Illinois, March 20, 1996
Strong north winds blew down the entire fetch of Lake Michigan causing high waves and damaging winds along the south shore of the lake. Winds were 30 to 40 mph with gusts over 50 mph along the Lakefront.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS LOT wrote it up.
Strong north winds blew down the entire fetch of Lake Michigan causing high waves and damaging winds along the south shore of the lake. Winds were 30 to 40 mph with gusts over 50 mph along the Lakefront. The peak gust at Meigs Field on the Chicago Lakefront was 63 mph. Waves estimated at 12 to 20 feet caused beach erosion and flooding. Freezing spray, water and sand caused significant travel problems on Lake Shore Drive. Some of the sea walls were damaged. Meigs Field was closed due to high winds and water on the runways. The high winds also blew down tree limbs, power lines and sings in Calumet City, Lansing and South Holland. Winds damaged a roof of a home in the 18100 block of Chicago Avenue on the south side of Chicago.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Cook
- When
- March 20, 3:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cook forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in Wisconsin, March 20, 1996
- High Wind in Vermont, March 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Kentucky, March 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Georgia, March 20 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in New York, March 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, March 20, 1996
- Winter Weather in West Virginia, March 20 to 23, 1996
- Cold in North Carolina, March 20 to 21, 1996
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, March 20 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, March 20 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in Indiana, March 20, 1996
- High Wind in Michigan, March 20, 1996
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, March 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5541727, 5541728.