Lake Michigan, 2025

Marine Thunderstorm Wind in Lake Michigan, August 16, 2025

August 16, 2025 · NWS LOT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Michigan City C-MAN station recorded a 40 kt gust as thunderstorm outflow moved over during the evening of the 16th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

The Michigan City C-MAN station recorded a 40 kt gust as thunderstorm outflow moved over during the evening of the 16th.

What forecasters said that day

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 Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 16, 5:50 PM CST, 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 16, 5:50 PM CST, 58 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 16, 2:45 PM CST, 4 hours 3 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville IL
345 PM CDT Sat Aug 16 2025

ILZ003>006-008-010>013-019>021-023-032-033-039-103>108-INZ001-002-
010-011-019-172045-
Winnebago-Boone-McHenry-Lake IL-Ogle-Lee-De Kalb-Kane-DuPage-
La Salle-Kendall-Grundy-Kankakee-Livingston-Iroquois-Ford-
Northern Cook-Central Cook-Southern Cook-Northern Will-
Southern Will-Eastern Will-Lake IN-Porter-Newton-Jasper-Benton-
345 PM CDT Sat Aug 16 2025 /445 PM EDT Sat Aug 16 2025/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north central
Illinois...northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Weather hazards expected...

  Significant Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
     Level 2 of 5 Damaging Wind Risk...up to 70 mph.
     Level 2 of 5 Large Hail Risk...up to 1 inch in diameter.
  Elevated Flooding Risk.
  Elevated Excessive Heat Risk through early evening south of I-80.

DISCUSSION...

Clusters of thunderstorms will move across the area into this
evening. Damaging winds will be the primary threat, which may
locally exceed 70 mph, though some instances of large hail are
also possible. Additional thunderstorms may develop into tonight
with a threat for flash flooding.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday.

Sunday...
  High swim risk developing Lake Michigan Beaches.
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk.
  Limited Excessive Heat Risk.
Monday...
Limited Flooding Risk.
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
     Level 1 of 5 Severe Thunderstorm Risk.
  Elevated Excessive Heat Risk.
Tuesday...
  Limited Flooding Risk.
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

  Spotters may be needed into this evening.

GENERAL STORM MOTION OF THE DAY:

  Moving toward the south at 35 to 40 mph.

LMZ740>745-172045-
Winthrop Harbor to Wilmette Harbor IL-
Wilmette Harbor to Northerly Island IL-
Northerly Island to Calumet Harbor IL-
Calumet Harbor IL to Gary IN-Gary to Burns Harbor IN-
Burns Harbor to Michigan City IN-
345 PM CDT Sat Aug 16 2025

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of the Illinois
nearshore waters of Lake Michigan and the Indiana nearshore
waters of Lake Michigan.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Weather hazards expected...

  Significant Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
     Level 1 of 5 Thunderstorm Wind Gust Risk...up to 60 knots.
     Level 2 of 5 Hail Risk...up to Quarter size.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday.

Sunday...
  Hazardous conditions for small craft are likely.
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk.
Monday...
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
     Level 1 of 5 Severe Thunderstorm Risk.
Tuesday...
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk.
Tuesday night and Wednesday...
  Hazardous conditions for small craft are likely.

KJB

Visit us at www.weather.gov/chicago

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 16, 5:53 PM CST, 55 minutes before
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Local storm report, Aug 16, 6:01 PM CST, 47 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Aug 16, 6:18 PM CST, 30 minutes before
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Local storm report, Aug 16, 6:35 PM CST, 13 minutes before
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Local storm report, Aug 16, 6:42 PM CST, 6 minutes before
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Local storm report, Aug 16, 6:47 PM CST, 1 minute before
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The radar

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 98 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:48 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 marine thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Marine Thunderstorm Wind, Burns Harbor to Michigan City in

When
August 16, 6:48 PM CST
Where
Burns Harbor to Michigan City in forecast zone, Michigan City Harbor
Measured
40 kt (46 mph) measured gust
Reported by
C-MAN Station
Coordinates
41.720, -86.920

What these are

Marine Thunderstorm Wind
Thunderstorm winds of 34 knots or more over coastal or lake waters.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Lake Michigan in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather history

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1285180.