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That's because the Great Lakes are massive. Lake Superior alone is the largest freshwater lake in the world. It's effectively a sea where wave heights can reach
by kayodelycaon 3y ago
That's because the Great Lakes are massive. Lake Superior alone is the largest freshwater lake in the world. It's effectively a sea where wave heights can reach 25 feet (7.6 meters). Winter storms can sink bulk freighters (1).
I grew up in Wisconsin and no one took Lake Superior lightly. The song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (2) is part of the region's legends and history.
1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald
2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzTkGyxkYI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzTkGyxkYI
- itslennysfault 3y agoLargest by area, but only about half the size of Lake Baikal by volume. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal
- oh_sigh 3y agoSure, but for the most part interesting weather phenomena come from surface area, not volume.
- itslennysfault 3y agoNo doubt superior has far more interesting weather. I just always think of this image when I hear Superior is the "biggest" and it really adds some interesting perspective https://imageio.forbes.com/blogs-images/startswithabang/files/2020/06/lakes-1200x873.jpg https://imageio.forbes.com/blogs-images/startswithabang/file...
- phkahler 3y agoAh but many people think Michigan/Huron should be considered one lake, in which case it would be largest by area and volume I think. It's a valid point given they are connected by a straight that is 5 miles wide at the narrowest and not very long and also very deep. Their levels are the same because they are essentially the same body of water.