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  • 7 minutes ago
The Great Lakes produce dangerous waves this time of year. Geoff Cornish explains how these lakes create the conditions favorable for strong storms that led to the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

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00:02This is not an ocean. You're looking at rough, turbulent, and truly dangerous waters of the
00:07Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum estimates about 6,000 ships have been lost in
00:13the Great Lakes and no less than half of them occurred between September and December. The
00:18gales of November infamously led to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10th of 1975
00:24when all 29 members of the crew died. The Shipwreck Museum says about 30,000 people
00:30have lost their lives on the lakes mainly in the 1800s and early 1900s. By November
00:35Arctic air pushes in while warmer air hangs on farther south and that growing
00:40temperature contrast helps power intense storms. Powerful winds sweep across miles
00:46of open water building waves higher the longer they blow. At the same time lakes
00:51still retaining warmth from summer add heat and moisture to the atmosphere fueling
00:56rain or lake effect snow and that reduces visibility it adds to the atmosphere's
01:00fury across these large freshwater lakes. These crashing waves demand respect in a
01:05safe distance especially in the fall and early winter.
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