Today could be one of the coldest Labor Days on record, according to the National Weather Service. The lowest temperature recorded on a Labor Day was 44 in 1946 and 1988, according to the agency, and the coldest high was a 61 in 1974. With nighttime lows expected to drop into the low 50s and with daytime highs expected to peak in the mid-to-upper 60s, today's temperatures – especially the daytime high – might be low enough to make the top 10 all-time in each category.
At a minimum, this promises to be the coldest Labor Day since 2003 when the high was just 65, according to WGN-TV meteorologist Tom Skilling.Winds out of the north/northeast in the 15-25 m.p.h. range and partly cloudy skies are to blame for the lower temperatures, and the winds in particular could blow a monkey wrench into plans for anyone who wanted to spend Labor Day enjoying Lake Michigan.
With the low temperatures that may discourage swimmers and beachgoers and the winds that could discourage boaters, the lake doesn't look at all enjoyable today, especially with the weather service issuing a small craft advisory and a rip current statement.
The winds are behind the rip current concerns that affect swimmers at beaches in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan on the southern tip of the lake. The weather service says the risk level is high for rip currents through Tuesday night, with waves building from 8 to 14 feet today.
Swimmers caught in rip currents, fast-flowing water moving away from shore, shouldn't try to swim back to shore through the current, the agency said. Instead, they should swim parallel to the shore until out of the rip current and then move toward shore.
The small craft advisory – which warns inexperienced boaters and small boats to stay ashore – is in effect until Wednesday for the areas closest to shore on the entire lake. The immediate Chicago-area on the lake's southwest corner isn't part of that advisory, but the rest of the lake is. The agency says there could be winds as high as 30 knots coming from the north, with the possibility of waves ranging from 12 to 18 feet high.
