High Surf — Southern Lake, Minnesota

2023-06-24 to 2023-06-25 · Southern Lake, Minnesota

Event narrative

Two 18 year old males died while cliff jumping at Black Beach in Silver Bay. The two jumped from the cliff just before 1:30PM CDT on the 25th and were seen struggling in the water before slipping beneath the waves. Waves at the time were in the 3 to 6 foot range with northeast winds gusting to 20 to 25 knots. Additionally the lake temperatures were in the lower 40s Fahrenheit. The Lake County Sheriff's office cited the winds, waves and water temperatures as contributing the drownings. Small Craft Advisories were in effect highlighting the hazardous conditions in the area.

Wider weather episode

A period of strong winds and waves led to hazardous swimming conditions along the North Shore of Lake Superior the weekend of the 24th and 25th. Two cliff jumpers drowned in the waters near Black Beach in Silver Bay after jumping due to the waves and cold water temperatures.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1111095. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.