page_title: List of storms on the Great Lakes
section_title: Armistice Day blizzard (1940)
hierarchical_section_title: List of storms on the Great Lakes / Armistice Day blizzard (1940)
caption_attribution_description: English: A map.
context_page_description: Ever since people have traveled the Great Lakes, storms have taken lives and vessels. The first sailing vessel on the upper lakes, the Le Griffon, was lost on its return from Green Bay in 1679. Since that time, memorable storms have swept the lakes, often in the month of November, taking men and ships to their death. With the advent of modern technology and sturdier vessels, fewer such losses have occurred. The large expanse of the lakes allows waves to build to substantial heights and the open water can alter weather systems. Storm winds can alter the lakes as well with large systems causing storm surges that lower lake levels several feet on one side while raising it even higher on the other. The shallowest lake, Lake Erie, sometimes sees storm surge rises of 8 or 10 feet. Seiches cause short-term irregular lake level changes, killing people swept off beaches and piers and even sometimes sinking boats The great tolls caused by Great Lakes storms in 1868 and 1869 were one of the main reasons behind establishing a national weather forecasting service, initially run by the U.S. Army Signal Corps using telegraphs to announce approaching storms in a few port cities.
context_section_description: The Armistice Day Blizzard was a winter storm that occurred on November 11–12, 1940 which brought heavy snow and winds up to 80 mph. The lake freighter SS William B. Davock sank with all 33 hands in Lake Michigan south of Pentwater, Michigan. The SS Anna C. Minch foundered, broke in two and sank nearby with the loss of all 24 crew. A third ship, the SS Novadoc, wrecked on a reef in the same area. Two crew were lost and the rest were rescued two days later by the tug Three Brothers. Two smaller boats also sank, bringing the total death toll on the Lakes to 66.
caption: Armistice Day Blizzard surface map.
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