Looking for a relaxing day of smallmouth fishing? Count Lake Erie out today. Gale-force winds to 60 mph out of the west have created monstrous seas throughout the central and eastern basins.
The photos to right (click to enlarge) were taken early this afternoon along shore in Dunkirk, N.Y. Beyond the guardrail is a popular public beach which is now completely submerged. Waves as high as 14 1/2 feet were recorded this morning off Port Colborne (across from Dunkirk on the Canadian side), and water has pushed its way into the eastern basin. Levels are at least 6 feet higher than normal in Dunkirk, and total water-level surge is expected to reach 8 feet this afternoon.
Gordon Lightfoot once sang about the "gales of November" – weather that could sink a ship like the Edmund Fitzgerald. Those winds are typically out of the north and are often Alberta Clippers. But recently, the gales of October from the west have been the ones to remember. If you haven't heard the song in a while, here's a vid. And here's hoping every sailor is safe.
