NWS expects dangerous beach conditions on Tuesday

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Don’t plan on heading to the beach on Tuesday. Even though most storms are expected to be done by mid-afternoon, Lake Michigan will not be safe for swimmers.

The National Weather Service has issued a beach hazard warning for late Monday through late Tuesday night for a long stretch of the Lake Michigan coastline — from Mason County all the way down through Van Buren County.

Following the storms, winds up to 20 knots are expected along with waves between 3 and 6 feet. It will be dangerous for small boats to be on the water, people on the piers could be at risk of being wiped off by waves, and swimmers could get pulled out to deeper water by strong currents.

“Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions and do not venture out on piers,” the NWS stated. “Please check with your local authorities on potential beach closures.”

Rip currents are the single biggest threat for swimmers on Lake Michigan. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , rip currents are the cause of 80% of all beach rescues in the U.S. Lifeguards rescue upwards of 50,000 people from rip currents each year.

Rip currents typically form around low spots or breaks in sandbars. As water builds up on the shore side of the sandbar, the pull for the water to return away from shore grows. Eventually, it will find the path of least resistance in the sandbar and form a channel.

The circular pattern of most rips has inspired one of most popular safety tips for how to escape: flip, float and follow.

“When someone realizes they are being pulled away from shore, pulled into water that is over their head, their instinct is to panic, to fight to survive and they exhaust themselves very quickly,” Dave Benjamin of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project said in the documentary ‘Rip Current Rescue.’ “So, what we advocate is if you are ever struggling in water over your head, you flip, float and follow. You flip over on your back, and you float, keep your head above water, calm yourself down from the fear and panic of drowning, conserve your energy and then follow a safe path out of the water.”

Another common strategy is to swim parallel to shore to pull yourself out of the channel. But experiments have shown that, while that can work, it’s not always effective with each type of rip current.

As important as knowing how to escape a rip current, each beachgoer should know how to swim safely to try and avoid them. According to the U.S. Lifesaving Association, there are three key rules to follow to swim safely: Swim near a lifeguard, follow flag warnings and steer clear of beach structures like piers or jetties.

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