One of the best beach weekends of 2018

If your weekend plans don't include heading to a beach along Lake Michigan, you might want to reconsider. That's because this weekend into early next week will provide one of the absolute best stretches of beach weather this year. There are no water or weather concerns Saturday, Sunday or Monday. That's something that does not happen all too often during the summer months.

Whether you go to Michigan City, New Buffalo, Weko Beach, or Silver Beach, you will have ideal weather all weekend long. High temperatures under a mainly sunny sky will be in the lower 80s each afternoon. What makes it even better is the dew points will be in check. They will hover in the mid-60s, meaning you will notice a some humidity, but it will not feel oppressive or steamy. Of course, there's more to a beach forecast than just the cloud cover and temperatures. The behavior of Lake Michigan is key for anyone who wants to swim.

Fortunately, the water will calm this weekend with waves around 1 foot, if not less, Saturday thru Monday. The only exception may be some 2-foot waves along the La Porte County shore Saturday afternoon. Regardless, green flags will be flying for the next 72 hours with the risk of dangerous swimming being very low. Rip currents are always possible, but the risk for those this weekend is also very low. That bodes well for anyone wanting to get some swimming in because we know how dangerous they can be.

Believe it or not, rip currents have already claimed 45 lives this year across the United States. Some of those deaths have occurred in the Great Lakes, including right here in Lake Michigan. For perspective, lightning and tornadoes have only killed 19 people combined thus far in 2018. When there is any sort of elevated risk of rip currents or dangerous waters, it is very important to heed all warnings and stay out of the water.