It's 84 and Sunny In Chicago - Is Lake Michigan Warm Enough To Swim In?
Apr 15th, 2003, 01:14 PM
#3
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 200
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't know why you would think the water would be warm enough to swim, dispite the air temperature - it's only April and the beginning of spring - we're talking about Chicago, not Florida. I mean it would be too cold to swim in a pool unless it's heated
Apr 15th, 2003, 01:18 PM
#4
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 204
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My 9 year old daughter went in Lake Huron last Saturday with 2 cousins and an uncle. Our family has a race every year to see who will be first in the lake. It was freezing. They lasted about 2 nanoseconds. That was in Bright's Grove, Ontario. I doubt Lake Michigan is any warmer.
Apr 15th, 2003, 01:21 PM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,379
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
And by Thursday it will be struggling to hit 50 in Chicago...! The nasty storm we just had out here in CA is heading their way (sorry about that). And another is coming tomorrow.
Oh well, another few days, then this just might fade into memory....
Oh well, another few days, then this just might fade into memory....
Apr 15th, 2003, 03:32 PM
#9
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,489
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sh-sh-sh-sheesh!
I'm getting massive shrinkage just thinking about Lake Mich in April!
Prob as cold as Lake Tahoe in June when a cloud covers up the sun? I always wondered what "Tahoe Purple" looked like.
I'm getting massive shrinkage just thinking about Lake Mich in April!
Prob as cold as Lake Tahoe in June when a cloud covers up the sun? I always wondered what "Tahoe Purple" looked like.
Apr 16th, 2003, 01:55 PM
#14
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 204
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Oh yes we are UrbanJames! Bright's Grove (which is essentially an intersection with a stoplight) has been inundated by the media, mostly from Detroit. They talked to some old timers at Huron Oaks, the club Mike used to play at. They ventured into the local Tim Horton's for a donut, then stopped in at the IGA to talk to the grocery manager. It was a hoot. They also went into Sarnia to Mike's old high school and dug out some really nasty old yearbook photos. We all watched Fox and Channel 4 to see the locals on TV. Americans can be proud as Mike now calls Utah his home, and he is definitely a class act.
Apr 16th, 2003, 03:00 PM
#15
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 322
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Members of the Polar Bear Club pride themselves in swimming in L. Michigan in Chicago on New Years Day! Here's a little article about this past New Years: swim.http://www.chicagoaa.com/news/Polarswim02.html
So, I can say honestly, that it is never too cold to swim in Lake Michigan. I mean, how cold can it get? Not below 32 degrees, after all!
So, I can say honestly, that it is never too cold to swim in Lake Michigan. I mean, how cold can it get? Not below 32 degrees, after all!
Apr 17th, 2003, 11:57 AM
#16
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 827
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hehe. I remember being thrown into lake Michigan once in May after a particularly cold winter and spring (and this is coming from someone who grew up swimming in the lake, so cold water isn't an issue for me) and it was so cold that it knocked the breath out of me. I would not recommend it.
Apr 17th, 2003, 01:53 PM
#17
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,491
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Once, deep in the heat of late July, I tried swimming at a Wilmette beach. Brrrr! However, there are days when it is possible to swim somewhat comfortably if you are a little hardy to begin with.
A lot depends on the direction of the wind: imagine the Lake as a pond in the sun. The surface will warm up even if it stays chilly below. If the wind comes up, all the warm water will be blown to one side. Chicago is almost always on the side of the lake where the wind blows the sun-warmed water to the other side. I once went swimming at Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan and was astonished at how bathlike the water was compared to what I was used to in Illinois. Once in a blue moon, the wind will blow from the east AND there will not be bad weather associated with that wind direction (usually it's terrible weather with an east wind), and then the Chicago-side of the lake will be warmer.
A lot depends on the direction of the wind: imagine the Lake as a pond in the sun. The surface will warm up even if it stays chilly below. If the wind comes up, all the warm water will be blown to one side. Chicago is almost always on the side of the lake where the wind blows the sun-warmed water to the other side. I once went swimming at Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan and was astonished at how bathlike the water was compared to what I was used to in Illinois. Once in a blue moon, the wind will blow from the east AND there will not be bad weather associated with that wind direction (usually it's terrible weather with an east wind), and then the Chicago-side of the lake will be warmer.
Apr 18th, 2003, 09:20 AM
#18
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 186
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As others have said, Lake Michigan is almost always cold. Right now it's maybe in the low 40s. Another thing to keep in mind, especially in early Spring, is that you can have an 80-degree day, and then a "pneumonia front" passes through and turns the winds around to the northeast. The air temperature will drop down into the 40s in a matter of minutes.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
brubenow
United States
9
Jul 26th, 2017 08:43 AM
