The National Weather Service has issued a hazards alert for Lake Michigan beaches in Illinois and Indiana, with 3- to 6-foot waves making it dangerous to even walk near the shore in some areas.
The alert, in effect until late Friday, warns of “life-threatening waves and currents” at beaches and rip currents that flow quickly away from shore and “can sweep you into deeper water.”
“If you are visiting southern Lake Michigan beaches today, stay out of the water,” the weather service said. “Winds and waves will gradually decrease into Saturday but some rip current risk may continue, mainly for Illinois beaches.”
The alert comes a day after a Blue Island man apparently drowned while trying to save an 11-year-old girl who had been swept off a breakwater at the 31st Street Beach.
For information on swim advisories or bans at Chicago beaches, check www.cpdbeaches.com.
