Life-Threatening Conditions Prompt Lake Michigan Swim Advisory

CHICAGO — Life-threatening waves and currents have caused the National Weather Service to issue a swim advisory for Lake Michigan that runs through Wednesday. The dangerous conditions also have forced the Chicago Park District to place swimming bans or advisories on many of its beaches Tuesday.

Waves could reach as high as 8 feet, and water spouts and strong rip currents that could pull swimmers into deeper water are possible, the weather services warning states. According to the agency, rip currents are powerful channels of water flowing quickly away from shore, and they happen most often at low spots or breaks in sandbars.

Along with warning swimmers to keep out of the water, the weather service also is urging people to stay away from break walls and piers. Structural currents form along piers where longshore currents and wave action flow into the structure, and like rip currents, they can pull water into deeper water along the pier, the agency said.

RELATED: 3 Boys Die After Being Pulled From Lake Michigan

The National Weather Service's advisory not only covers Chicago's lakefront, but it also applies to the Lake Michigan shores along Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan.

The severe lake conditions have already been blamed in the deaths of three boys over the weekend. A 14-year-old was pulled from the water near Waukegan Municipal Beach on Friday as he tried to swim across the channel. A Chicago 10-year-old and an Aurora 14-year-old were pulled from the lake within an hour of each other Saturday at the beach at Indiana Dunes State Park.

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Go to the National Weather Service's website for more details about the swim advisory and hazardous lake conditions. The website for the Chicago Park District lists the city beaches under swim bans or advisories.

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