Lake Michigan Wreaking Havoc on Chicago This Summer

Tony Briscoe reports:

For the second straight month, according to preliminary records, Lake Michigan has crested to its highest mark in over three decades — each time 1 inch shy of record highs set in 1986. It takes roughly 780 billion gallons of water to raise Lake Michigan 1 inch. Since 2013, the lake has risen nearly 6 feet from record lows. And in Chicago, no part of the shoreline has come away unscathed.

This year, the buoyant water has swallowed at least two Chicago beaches entirely and periodically closed others. It has swiped fishermen from piers, swimmers from beaches and submerged jetties, creating hazards for boaters. It has flooded heavily trafficked parts of lakefront bicycle and pedestrian pathways, leaving some stretches underwater and others crumbling.

And there are reasons to believe it's only going to get worse, according to Briscoe. All of those warning signs have come during the calm summer weather. Traditionally, the most powerful storms on the lake come in the fall.

Briscoe provides a lot more anecdotes and evidence about the historic summer on Lake Michigan in the source article.