Weather Conditions & Warnings
The primary feature of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is Lake Michigan. The lake brings with it several weather related conditions that can create threats to the enjoyment of the area.
- Winter: Winter months bring the risk of shelf ice. This is a condition where the winter winds push ice from Lake Michigan onto the beaches. As the cold depends, the ice can build up into long ridges creating an arctic dunescape. Much of this ice is floating. It may be dangerous to walk on the ice as there can be air pockets into which you can sink. Rescue is extremely difficult.
- Summer: During the summer months, rip currents can occur in Lake Michigan. This occurs suddenly and can sweep a swimmer out far out into the lake. Rip currents are most prevalent on days with a strong north wind. Rip currents are created when masses of water is pushed against the shoreline by a north wind. The mass of water becomes trapped between the beach and the first sandbar. As the wind continues, the volume of water increases until weight of incoming water and the mass of the sandbar are unable push back the growing volume of water behind the sandbar. Then, the trapped water creates a narrow channel through the sandbar. The water rushes back into the lake forming a river in the lake. Anything or anyone in the current is taken out into the lake.
| Climate data for Chesterton, Indiana | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F | 30.5 | 34.8 | 46.9 | 60.1 | 71.4 | 80.5 | 83.4 | 81.2 | 75.1 | 63.7 | 49.4 | 35.4 | 59.4 |
| Average low °F | 14.3 | 17.8 | 28.7 | 38.4 | 48.3 | 57.6 | 62.2 | 60.2 | 53.7 | 43 | 33.1 | 21.2 | 39.9 |
| Rainfall inches | 1.96 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 4 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3 | 37.2 |
| Snowfall inches | 12 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 3.4 | 9.1 | 55.4 |
| Average high °C | −0.8 | 1.6 | 8.3 | 15.6 | 21.9 | 26.9 | 28.6 | 27.3 | 23.9 | 17.6 | 9.7 | 1.9 | {{{year high C}}} |
| Average low °C | −9.8 | −7.9 | −1.8 | 3.6 | 9.1 | 14.2 | 16.8 | 15.7 | 12.1 | 6 | 0.6 | −6.0 | {{{year low C}}} |
| Rainfall mm | 49.8 | 43 | 76 | 102 | 99 | 107 | 102 | 97 | 81 | 81 | 86 | 76 | 945 |
| Snowfall cm | 30 | 28.7 | 28.7 | 3.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 8.6 | 23.1 | 140.7 |
| Source: | |||||||||||||
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—Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)