High Surf — Southern Cook, Minnesota

2025-08-12 · Southern Cook, Minnesota

Event narrative

A man was washed into Lake Superior by a wave on the shore near Solbakken Resort in Lutsen, Minnesota. He was walking along the shore and was knocked over by a large wave and pulled out into Lake Superior and was not moving. His body was recovered by United States Border Patrol who responded to a mutual aid call by Cook County Search and Rescue after conditions proved too rough for their boat. Waves were around two to four feet at the time with south-southwesterly winds of 10 to 20 knots with gusts to 25 knots.

Wider weather episode

Onshore winds led to waves of around 2 to 4 feet with occasional higher waves along the North Shore of Lake Superior during the day on August 12th. A man walking on the beach at a resort in Lutsen was knocked over by the waves and subsequently drowned.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1290489. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.