Monday marks the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. I’ve heard Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad hundreds of times, and I still get chills. Twenty-nine mariners lost their lives as the freighter sank off Whitefish Point, Mich.
What you may not know: the 730-foot freighter pulled out of Superior, Wis., on Nov. 9, 1975, at 2:15 p.m. No weather warnings were posted. Three hours later a gale warning was issued, followed by a storm warning on the 10th. The storm was far more intense than predicted, with hurricane-force gusts and 25- to 35-foot seas. When it went down there was no time to deploy life rafts.
An estimated 6,000 to 10,000 shipwrecks have been reported on the Great Lakes since the 1700s. The losses were a major catalyst for the 1870 Army Signal Service, which later became the National Weather Service.
Flurries may dust a few roads Sunday with low 30s and a chill factor near 15 degrees. Ouch. No big storms in sight. Some models hint at 60 degrees again Saturday. Which means more wind.
When in doubt, just predict “windy.”
