November 1913
Much attention has been paid to the sinking of Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10th, 1975. The loss of the largest ship in the Laker fleet and 29 lives was a horrific event. However, the most savage storm in the history of the Great Lakes swept the inland waters on November 7-12, 1913. The 1913 Great Lakes Storm resulted in the sinking and damage of many ships and hundreds of crewmen and women killed in the icy Great Lakes.
The storm was two systems that combined forces colliding with gale-force winds bringing 35-foot monstrous waves and driving snow and ice that doomed anyone caught out on the big lake. The most significant losses in lives and ships occurred on Lake Huron, where 27 were lost or severely damaged. All told, 19 ships went to the bottom of the lake, and a total of 248 souls were lost. Many of the ships that went down were along the Michigan Thumb coastline.
It was four days of chaos that packed blizzard conditions as well as hurricane-force winds.
If you were on a ship out on the lakes, caught in this storm, it became something out of nightmare. Mariners reported winds gusting to 100 mph in some spots, amid monster 36-foot waves.
The storm was given several monikers, including “White Hurricane,” the “Frozen Fury,” and the “Big Blow.”
Friday, the 7th, brought on the start of the storm. On that date the temperature sored to 66 at Detroit, 63 at Saginaw, 66 at Cleveland, 64 at Toledo and here in Grand Rapids. To the north Lake Superior winds were popping around 50 mph, and snow started over Superior by evening. Thus, the stage was set for the system to slide over the entire Great Lakes region as the storm slid toward Lake Superior’s eastern edge by nightfall. The November 7th phrase of the storm became know as “The Pre-Storm” and was formidable in its own right, with storm-force winds, heavy snow, lake-effect snow squalls, freezing sprays and high seas. Several large ships were severely damaged and run aground across the breadth of the lake.
Then the storm swept down and fastened its grip on the Thumb area on Sunday afternoon, November 9th. Towards evening the wind grew in velocity, and streetcars in Port Huron were stopped in their tracks by huge snowdrifts. a low-pressure creeping north in a counter-clockwise motion up from Lake Erie. By early evening Sunday, cities along the southern coast of Lake Erie were being bashed by up to 80 mph winds in Cleveland along with a dramatic drop in barometric pressure. On Lake Huron, seventeen ships were on the water. The giant freighters were tossed about by northeast winds blowing from seventy-five to eighty miles an hour.
The storm dumped over 22” of snow at Cleveland. Here in Michigan 5” were reported at Saginaw, Lansing and Detroit (although) pictured from Detroit show much more snow on the ground. Muskegon and Holland reported around 4.5” and here in Grand Rapids only 1” was reported. Over all the winter of 1913/14 had a mild December and January with a very cold February with around 48 to 60” of snow fall area wide.
Slim
We are getting pummeled with moderate snow! Keep it rocking!
The clipper is looking good! Bring it!
Winter Weather Advisory! The ground seems much colder than yesterday so maybe more will stick on the onset this time
This advisory will be one of many this winter! It is going to be wild!
A WWA has been issued for GR! Who knew? Incredible!
Last nights snow is just about all gone now, still some on the roofs and patches on the ground. For what it is worth parts of west Michigan are in a Winter Weather Advisory. The NWS call is for a general 1 to 3″ of possible snow fall. My thinking is that it may just be too warm for that much snow to acclimate, it may fall but not stick. We shall see. Cloudy and 39 here now.
Slim
Get ready for the clipper! Possible WWA?
I could see that. The NWS likes to do that for the first real snow of the season.
Well, our golf course finally closed yesterday. Nine month season this year. Not too shabby.
It took a while but the snow that collected at the top of my rain gauge has now melted (inside of the house) and the numbers are 1. Snow on the ground at observation time 2″ now get this total rain and melted snow fall for yesterday and overnight 0.96″ So you can just guess how much snow would have fallen if it was 1. It was all snow. 2. it was about 5 degrees colder Bottom line the areas north and north west of Grand Rapids missed a major snow storm by several degrees
Slim
I am not sure how much snow fell but at 8 AM I have 2″ on the ground. If the temperatures had been about 5° Colder yesterday and last night we would have had a real big time snowstorm as there were times of heavy snow and even several rumbles of thunder. I will post the total water content of yesterdays rain and snow as soon as the snow at the top of my funnel melts so far there is a total of 0.65″ in the gauge tube. At this time there is a light mist falling and the current… Read more »
2.75″ of wet snow here at my homestead.
At almost the exact time the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in ’75, my brother and I were crossing the Mackinac Bridge on our way back to the U.P. In the southbound lane a semi tractor-trailer had been blown over onto its side by the wind which was kind of a shock to see. The bridge was shut down almost immediately after we crossed.
Incredible!
We will be seeing multiple heavy snow events this winter! Probably about 6 or 7 winter storm warnings and at least 10 WWA’s! Get ready now!
Our first accumulating snow of the season has put down a blanket of 3″ in Otsego, this is the heavy wet variety – this is the 4 am measurement. Currently drizzle and 32 degrees.
Our high temp yesterday was 47 and the low was 32.
We lost power for an hour this morning.
Wow, snow and more snow!