Witch of November
Learn about the dramatic storms, immense scale, and influence of the Great Lakes on the iconic "Witch of November
The so-called "Witch of November" is a meteorological phenomenon that can occur in the fall when cold, dry air from Canada collides with warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico over the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes. This event sometimes leads to powerful low-pressure systems that spawn severe storms with winds that can reach 100 miles per hour and waves over 30 feet high on the Great Lakes.
Here are some of the most notable storms generated by the “Witch of November.”
On November 11th, 1911, a fast-moving arctic cold front, called The Great Blue Norther, swept across the central United States. After an unseasonably warm afternoon, a severe cold front rapidly plunged temperatures into the single digits by nightfall, bringing severe thunderstorms, blizzards, and rare late-autumn tornadoes to Michigan.
During a three-day period from November 7th to November 10th, 1913, a severe storm, called The White Hurricane, generated sustained winds up to 90 mph and waves higher than 35 feet, along with whiteout blizzard conditions and heavy lake-effect snow. Twelve freighters were sunk on the Great Lakes, and dozens of other boats were wrecked on rocks and beaches. More than 250 people lost their lives. That storm remains in the record books as the deadliest natural disaster in the history of Great Lakes shipping.
On November 11th, 1940, a sudden, fierce blizzard, called The Armistice Day Storm, caused rapid temperature drops, hurricane-force gusts, and heavy snow. Three freighters and two smaller boats went down in Lake Michigan, and at least 66 sailors died.
On November 9th, 1975, the 729-foot-long SS Edmund Fitzgerald, along with its entire crew of 29 men and 26,000 tons of iron ore pellets, went down near Whitefish Point at the eastern end of Lake Superior during a ferocious gale with winds gusting over 70 miles per hour and waves up to 35 feet high.