High waves and rip currents led to the drownings of two swimmers near Presque Isle in Marquette and two swimmers in Grand Marais on the afternoon of the 5th.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS MQT wrote it up.
High waves and rip currents led to the drownings of two swimmers near Presque Isle in Marquette and two swimmers in Grand Marais on the afternoon of the 5th.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Marquette, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 5, 12:30 PM EST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 130 PM EDT THU AUG 5 2010 .SYNOPSIS... WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND RUC SHOWING A LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER HUDSON BAY WITH A RIDGE OVER THE ROCKIES. SEVERAL WEAK SHORTWAVES ARE SWEEPING THROUGH THE BASE OF THE LONGWAVE. ONE IS OVER THE EASTERN U.P. WHILE OTHERS ARE OVER SOUTHERN MANITOBA AND OVER NORTHERN ONTARIO. SEVERAL WEAK SHORTWAVES ARE MOVING THROUGH THE RIDGE. SURFACE ANALYSIS DEPICTS A LOW OVER JAMES BAY WITH A COLD FRONT DRAPED THROUGH EASTERN ONTARIO TO THE NORTH END OF LAKE SUPERIOR TO A LOW OVER SOUTHERN MANITOBA. ANOTHER WEAK COLD FRONT IS OVER NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. BETWEEN THESE TWO FRONT THERE IS A LITTLE DEEPER MOISTURE. THUS WITH THE SHORTWAVE ENERGY AND AVAILABLE MOISTURE...A FEW SHOWERS AND SPRINKLES ARE OCCURRING OVER LAKE SUPERIOR. && .SHORT TERM...THIS AFTERNOON... THE MID LEVEL LOW EMBEDDED IN THE LONGWAVE TROUGH WILL SETTLE SOUTH INTO NORTHERN ONTARIO THIS AFTERNOON PUSHING THE SHORTWAVE OF THE FORECAST AREA SOUTH INTO LOWER MICHIGAN. MEANWHILE...A WEAKER SHORTWAVE WILL SWING OUT OF SOUTHERN MANITOBA INTO THE WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. THE SECONDARY COLD FRONT WILL SLIDE INTO NORTHERN U.P. COOLER DRIER AIR WILL SETTLE INTO THE AREA BEHIND THE FRONT. THUS CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE FOR SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHERN U.P. AND LAKE SUPERIOR THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. GRID WINDS ARE LOOKING GOOD AND SO ARE THE TEMEPRATURES SO WILL NOT UPDATE AT THIS TIME. .LONG TERM...TONIGHT AND LATER PERIODS... TNGT...LATEST NAM/GFS SHOW ANOTHER SHRTWV PUSHING SEWD THRU NE LK SUP AND DRAGGING A REINFORCING SFC COLD FNT ACRS THE CWA. ALTHOUGH THE GFS IS DRY...THE NAM DOES INDICATE SCT -SHRA WL ACCOMPANY THIS FROPA...AT LEAST NEAR LK SUP E OF THE KEWEENAW. ADDED A SCHC POP WHERE THE NAM SHOWS PCPN TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS POTENTIAL. H85 TEMPS WITHIN THE REINFORCING SHOT OF COOL AIR ARE PROGGED TO FALL AS LO AS 2C BY THE GFS BY 12Z FRI OVER ERN LK SUP. ALTHOUGH THE WATER TEMP IS 19C EVEN AT THE DEEPER OFFSHORE PART OF LK SUP...THE INCRSG ACYC FLOW/ STEADILY RISING MSLP E OF HI PRES BLDG INTO MN AND INFLUX OF LLVL DRY AIR BEHIND THE FROPA SHOULD LIMIT ANY LK CLD DESPITE THE CONSIDERABLE AIR/LK WATER TEMP DIFFERENCE. EXPECT THE LOWEST MIN TEMPS OVER THE INTERIOR W HALF CLOSER TO THE INCOMING HI/WEAKER NNW FLOW THAT WL MINIMIZE THE ADVECTION OF LK SUP WARMING INLAND. FRI...ANY SC NEAR LK SUP WL TRANSITION TO DIURNAL CU OVER THE INTERIOR ON FRI UNDER H85 THERMAL TROF AS HI PRES BLDS OVER THE U.P. MIXING TO H75 ON NAM/GFS FCST SDNGS YIELDS HI TEMPS INTO THE MID 70S AWAY FM LK SUP MODERATION IN LLVL NW FLOW. THE WARMEST LOCATIONS SHOULD BE OVER THE INTERIOR SCNTRL WITH DOWNSLOPE NNW WIND. A MDT RISK OF RIP CURRENTS WL PERSIST AT THE BEACHES FM MQT TO GRAND MARAIS. ON FRI NGT...THE SFC HI WL PASS TO THE SE...WITH RETURN SW FLOW SETTING UP OVER THE UPR GRT LKS. HOWEVER...BOTH THE GFS/NAM HINT A SFC RDG EXTENDING FM THE HI CENTER WL REMAIN OVER THE FA...WITH A RELATIVELY LGT H925 FLOW. SINCE THE GFS SHOWS AN AXIS OF PWAT AOB 0.5 INCH UNDER THIS RDG AXIS...TEND TO THINK THE LO END OF MOS GUIDANCE IS THE WAY TO GO OVER THE INTERIOR. THE SHORELINE OF THE KEWEENAW SHOULD BE THE WARMEST WITH A BIT STRONGER WLY FLOW THERE. SAT...TROF OVER HUDSON BAY WL BE LIFTING TO THE NE...WITH SLOWLY RISING HGTS OVER THE UPR GRT LKS ABV STRENGTHENING SW FLOW BTWN DEPARTING SFC HI INTO THE MID ATLANTIC AND LO PRES TAKING SHAPE IN THE NRN PLAINS ASSOCIATED WITH SHRTWV EMERGING OUT OF THE NRN ROCKIES. MODEL CONSENSUS SHOWS H85 TEMPS INCRSG TO 15-16C OVER THE W BY 00Z SUN WHILE HOLDING AT 12C OVER THE E. MIXING TO H75 ON FCST SDNGS HINTS HI TEMPS SHOULD REACH THE LO 80S AWAY FM LK MI MODERATION. ON SAT NGT/SUN...THE GFS APPEARS TO SUFFER A CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK WITH A STRONGER LO PRES DVLPG IN MN MOVING INTO THE FA AND BRINGING ENHANCED SW FLOW/MOISTENING SAT NGT WITH AGGRESSIVE DRYING ON SUN IN THE WAKE OF THIS LO...SO DISREGARDED ITS FCST. TENDED TOWARD THE 00Z ECWMF...WHICH SHOWS REASONABLE CONTINUITY WITH THE 12Z ECMWF...ON SOMEWHAT FASTER TIMING OF WAD PCPN IN ADVANCE OF SHRTWV MOVING INTO MN FM THE PLAINS ON SAT NGT AND THEN DRYING FM THE W ON SUN. THE GOING FCST FOR SUN IS IN DECENT AGREEMENT WITH ECMWF FCST...SO MADE FEW CHGS. && .AVIATION /FOR THE 18Z TAF ISSUANCE/... VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE FCST PERIOD. HOWEVER...GUSTY WRLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED AT BOTH LOCATIONS WHERE TERRAIN EFFECTS WILL ENHANCE THE WIND. A FEW LINGERING SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON UNTIL THE SHORTWAVE MOVES AWAY. DIURNAL HEATING AND COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL LEAD TO INCREASED MIXING DOWN TO SURFACE WILL RESULT IN NORTHWEST GUSTS OF 20 TO 30KT. && .MARINE /FOR THE 4 AM LAKE SUPERIOR FCST ISSUANCE/... EXPECT NORTHWEST WINDS TO INCREASE TO 30 KNOTS BY LATE THIS MORNING AS A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH CROSSES THE LAKE. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE IN LATE TONIGHT ALLOWING WINDS TO DIMINISH TO LESS THAN 20 KNOTS AND REMAIN SO THROUGH THE WEEKEND. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN...NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR...NONE. LAKE MICHIGAN...NONE. && SYNOPSIS/DISCUSSION...KC AVIATION...JLB MARINE...PEARSON
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 501 AM EDT THU AUG 5 2010 MIZ001>007-009>014-084-085-061115- KEWEENAW-ONTONAGON-NORTHERN HOUGHTON-BARAGA-MARQUETTE-ALGER-LUCE- GOGEBIC-IRON-DICKINSON-MENOMINEE-DELTA-SOUTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- SOUTHERN HOUGHTON-NORTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- 501 AM EDT THU AUG 5 2010 /401 AM CDT THU AUG 5 2010/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS INTO EARLY THIS AFTERNOON NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF DEADLY RIP CURRENTS AT THE BEACHES FROM MARQUETTE TO GRAND MARAIS TODAY. THE RISK IS HIGH AT SOME OF THE BEACHES IN ALGER COUNTY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS WILL PERSIST AT THE BEACHES FROM MARQUETTE TO GRAND MARAIS ON FRIDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT OVER THE WEST HALF OF UPPER MICHIGAN...ON SUNDAY ACROSS ALL OF WEST AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN... AND ON SUNDAY NIGHT EAST OF A LINE FROM MARQUETTE TO IRON RIVER. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST ON MONDAY OVER ALL OF WEST AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN EXCEPT THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER ALL OF WEST AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN ON WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR STORM SPOTTERS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. LSZ162-240>251-263>267-061115- LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF A LINE FROM SAXON HARBOR WI TO GRAND PORTAGE MN BEYOND 5NM-SAXON HARBOR WI TO BLACK RIVER MI- BLACK RIVER TO ONTONAGON MI- ONTONAGON TO UPPER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL MI- UPPER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL TO EAGLE RIVER MI- EAGLE RIVER TO MANITOU ISLAND MI- MANITOU ISLAND TO POINT ISABELLE MI- POINT ISABELLE TO LOWER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL MI- LOWER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL TO HURON ISLANDS MI INCLUDING KEWEENAW AND HURON BAYS-HURON ISLANDS TO MARQUETTE MI- MARQUETTE TO MUNISING MI-MUNISING TO GRAND MARAIS MI- GRAND MARAIS TO WHITEFISH POINT MI- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM SAXON HARBOR WI TO UPPER ENTRANCE TO PORTAGE CANAL MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER INCLUDING ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM UPPER ENTRANCE TO PORTAGE CANAL TO MANITOU ISLAND MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER- LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF LINE FROM MANITOU ISLAND TO MARQUETTE MI BEYOND 5NM FROM SHORE- LAKE SUPERIOR EAST OF A LINE FROM MANITOU ISLAND TO MARQUETTE MI AND WEST OF A LINE FROM GRAND MARAIS MI TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER BEYOND 5NM FROM SHORE- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM GRAND MARAIS MI TO WHITEFISH POINT MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER- 501 AM EDT THU AUG 5 2010 /401 AM CDT THU AUG 5 2010/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR...CENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR AND WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER ALL OF LAKE SUPERIOR INTO THIS AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER WEST AND CENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR SATURDAY NIGHT...OVER ALL OF LAKE SUPERIOR ON SUNDAY...AND ACROSS EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR ON SUNDAY NIGHT. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ON WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR STORM SPOTTERS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. LMZ221-248-250-061115- GREEN BAY NORTH OF LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE-SEUL CHOIX POINT TO POINT DETOUR MI- 5NM EAST OF A LINE FROM FAIRPORT MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE- 501 AM EDT THU AUG 5 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN LAKE LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THERE IS CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ON SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR STORM SPOTTERS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. KC
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
A 15-year-old boy from Berkley, IL and a 16-year-old boy from Felch, MI both drowned near Presque Isle in high waves and strong rip currents on the afternoon of the 5th. Northwest winds gusting over 30 mph at times contributed to the high waves and strong rip currents.
A father and his son both drowned in high waves and strong rip currents in Grand Marais Harbor on the afternoon of the 5th. Northwest winds gusting over 30 mph at times contributed to the high waves and strong rip currents.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rip Current, Marquette | 2010-08-05 | 16 | Male | In Water | Direct |
| Rip Current, Marquette | 2010-08-05 | 15 | Male | In Water | Direct |
| Rip Current, Alger | 2010-08-05 | 16 | Male | In Water | Direct |
| Rip Current, Alger | 2010-08-05 | 50 | Male | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, August 2010
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: 258610, 258611.