Chicago had a gale blow down from Superior in November 1998. I had to drive from the northside to the southside and on the south end of the Illinois Tollway, there's a section that goes through a rock quarry pit-- no wind break. It was a white-knuckle drive all the way. I sat in a restaurant and watched as roadsigns shuddered and debris blew by -- just like what you see when a hurricane hits someplace. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be on the lake when one of these hits.
One of the Coast Guard officers who took part in the search/rescue operations for the Edmund Fitzgerald apparently said that the weather on Lake Superior on the night of November 10, 1975 was worse than anything he had seen on the North Atlantic.
Me neither. Hell on earth might come close to describing it.
Once I visited Pictured Rocks Natl Lakeshore and took a small plane tour of the area. We were astounded at the number of shipwrecks clearly visible under the crystal clear Superior water.
I also recall a story I was told by a guy who's family rented a boat out on Superior when he was a kid. A storm squall came up when they were still out and the waves quickly became very high. There was nothing to do but aim the bow straight into the waves and maneuver as best they could toward shore. Although they made it, it was a terrifying experience for them.
Bump for the memory of the Edmund Fitzgerald.