Splish: Huge Lake Michigan waves raised by gale
force winds forced the closing of northbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive
on the right at right
Splash: Gale force winds produced waves of over 20 feet as measured at a NOAA weather buoy far out on the big lake
Splosh: A snow squall during today’s gale obscures the buildings of downtown Chicago as a large wave crashes into the seawall
Cars moved
slowly through the area. At one point cars were in a single-file line as
waves crashed across the three lanes closest to the water.
Emergency crews and trucks blocked the lanes to traffic while they worked to remove water off the road, city officials said.
At one point, waves reached the southbound side, causing traffic in both directions to stop.
It was a magnificent sight, and some people risked getting splashed just to see it.
The high waves prompted Navy Pier, one of Chicago’s top tourist attractions, to close its eastern end.
The Ferris Wheel, Grand Ballroom and End Plaza were also closed because of the extreme weather.
Wet welcome: A large Lake Michigan wave soaks a
photographer who got a bit too close to the action during the gales. The
man beat a hasty retreat out of the danger zone
Rough: High waves from Lake Michigan crash into a
break wall behind the Shedd Aquarium Friday. Winds gusting up to 65 mph
caused Lake Michigan waves to slam into the Chicago shoreline
Crashing ashore: The waves slowed traffic along Lake Shore Drive and prompted the cancellation of a Halloween attraction
Not beach weather: High winds cause huge waves to crash along a Lake Michigan retaining wall at Chicago’s 31st Street Beach
Flooded: Emergency crews and trucks blocked the
lanes to traffic while they worked to remove water off the road, city
officials said
A haunted house attraction on a floating barge, called Zombie Containment, was affected by water and was sinking into the lake.
The attraction
was closed Friday because of the inclement weather, and has been damaged
by the wind and waves, according to a Navy Pier spokesman.
Gary Chicago International Airport saw a wind gust of 69 mph, the highest in the area.
Most other places have recorded gusts of 30-50 mph on Friday afternoon, the weather service said.
At O’Hare
Airport, airlines have canceled 760 flights because of the weather and
are reporting delays up to 30 minutes, the city’s Department of Aviation
said.
Further west, mountain residents are excited about the first strong winter storm that hit the Sierra Nevada overnight.
Change of season: A wintry mix of colder temperatures, snow and strong winds seem to be heralding the arrival of winter
People in Truckee, a local ski resort, are hoping for a wet and snowy winter.
The director of ski operations said the resort’s 40 snow guns were primed for the weekend.
‘We’re excited —
(the) first real storm of the season is coming in,’ Shaydar Edlemann
said to KCRA. ‘It looks like we might get a couple of real good nights
of cold snow-making at the end of the weekend.’
In the Sierra
above 7,000 feet, 8 to 14 inches of early season snow was possible, with
up to 6 inches falling around the Lake Tahoe’s level.
This photo shows snow in Lexington, South
Carolina. Snow fell on states in the Upper Midwest and the South for the
first time this season
Snow in Asheville, North Carolina: Areas of the
South got in on the action over the weekend, with reports of snow
falling in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and North
Georgia
Snow was falling across the mountains of western
North Carolina early Saturday, and higher elevations could see up to 10
inches of snow by Saturday evening
Several inches of snow was possible in some higher foothill locations.
The storm is
fairly typical for this time of year but decidedly welcome as the region
struggles through three straight years of drought and looks to the
coming winter to help turn things around.
The storm
should clear out Sunday, with temperatures in Reno Sunday night dropping
below freezing. If people have yet to prepare sprinkler systems for
winter, now is the time, Boyd said.
Conditions should warm to average levels by Tuesday, with highs in the lower 60s expected in Reno.
Snow also fell on states in the South for the first time this season.
There were reports of snow falling in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and North Georgia.
Up to 2.5 inches of snow coated grassy areas
near Greenville, South Carolina, as well as Boone, North Carolina, early
Saturday and two inches were reported in Asheville, North Carolina
For parts of the South, it’s the earliest snow in 46 years. Up to six inches may fall in some places
The imminent arrival of winter is also given another visual reminder with the darker evenings beginning from Sunday night.
At 2 a.m. Sunday, people will be turning back their clocks by an hour to mark the end of daylight savings time this year.
As people
return to standard time, police and safety officials are taking the
opportunity to remind the public to change the batteries in their smoke
detectors.
Daylight savings time will return on the second Sunday in March 2015.
Daylight saving time was put in place during the First World War to save energy in North America and Europe.
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