Beach erosion expected for second time in two weeks
Here we go again. A second, powerful fall system has created more problems for the Michiana lakeshore today. First off, the wind will still be whipping throughout the day. And yesterday wasn't exactly calm either. A 52 mph gusts was reported in Goshen, with other peak gusts spread throughout the 40s from Rochester to Knox to South Bend. So everyone got in on the action yesterday.
And a similar story will continue for today. Gusts will stay strong around 30-35 mph for much of Michiana. But here along the lakeshore, it'll be more like 40-45 mph throughout the entire day, generating big, ocean-like waves and beach erosion problems once again. In fact, a lakeshore flood advisory is in effect for just Berrien county until 2 AM Wednesday morning. So any low-lying spots along or near the lake will get washed out again today.
Much like the last strong system a few weeks ago, we're expecting swells and waves to climb up to 8 to 12 feet on the northwest side of Berrien County. It'll be closer to 15 feet farther north around Holland and Grand Haven! So again, stay off the pier as the wind picks up again today. There'll be plenty of opportunities for pictures, but you'll want to do it from a safe distance.
Waves will start to calm down tomorrow, falling to 4 to 6 feet, and then finally back to 1 to 3 feet for the rest of the work week.
As mentioned previously, beach erosion will continue to be a big problem again, and round 2 will possibly be worse than round 1. Lake Michigan levels continue to run high, shrinking the size of the beach as it is. Then, you add in the high waves and erosion from 2 weeks ago, where beaches were cut down even more, and now the expected erosion today. Needless to say, it's likely that city employees up and down the shoreline will have some serious rebuilding to do before the new swimming season next year.