Northwest Wind and Mille Lacs Lake

What happens when a Northwest wind accelerates to gusts of 40 miles per hour? …for hours…?

What happens when over 30 mph sustained winds from the Northwest blow across 18 miles of open water called Mille Lacs Lake? Mille Lacs has a long “fetch,” the distance wind can blow over water…and make waves.

You know what happened. Massive, beautiful, wet, power filled  waves.

The wind began early Thursday morning in the darkness. By sunrise, obscured by a thinning cloud deck, the wind had been blowing for more than 4 hours across the “fetch” of Mille Lacs. Looking to the north from the wind and wave swept shore of Father Hennepin State Park, the lake was white as far as the eye could see.

The wind, and water in combination created a display of awesome, magnificent power.

 

Mille Lacs has a rich history. Names on its lake map conjure delightful mystery. The waves near the park rolled south past Gull Reef, Popes Point and on toward the Graveyard. They had rolled a distance of 18 miles by then. What does lake water look like when blown by wind at speeds over 30 mph for 18 miles?

On Thursday, September 3, 2020 God created a display of His power. The photographs are evidence.

 

“… he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters..” Job 28:24-25

click to advance…

 

David EllisComment