Rip Current — Central Cook County, Illinois

2022-07-13 · Central Cook County, Illinois

Wider weather episode

A man went swimming in Lake Michigan during the evening of July 13th near Jarvis Beach in Chicago. He was pinned against a break wall by large waves. Three of his friends used a nearby life ring which they threw to him and were able to help pull him to shore. Red do not swim flags were flying at the beach and the group had been warned not to enter the water by lifeguards who had just left for the day. Waves at the nearby Wilmette buoy were 3 to 4 feet and had peaked around 5 feet a few hours earlier.

In a separate incident about 24 hours later, on the evening of July 14th, a 14 year old boy was pulled from Lake Michigan at North Avenue Beach in Chicago. He was taken to a hospital in serious condition. Waves at the Wilmette Buoy were 2 to 3 feet with northeast wind directions all day.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1039276. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.