CHICAGO -- Hundreds of miles from its turbulent center, superstorm Sandy's outer bands were violent enough to rip up near-record high waves Tuesday on Lake Michigan, sending a community of avid surfers in Chicago into the cold, churning waters despite warnings from city officials.
Wave heights out in the middle of the lake reached 20 feet, short of the 23-foot record set last year by a strong storm pushing down from Canada. The difference this time is the winds are from the edges of what had been a tropical storm, one vast enough to reach hundreds of miles inland.
The enormous storm pummeled the East Coast, leaving millions without power, toppling trees and killing dozens. More than 600 miles away, the storm's winds could still be felt, blasting across Lake Michigan at 54 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
"Oh, most people wouldn't even come to the beach today, right?" said Jim Hoop, 50, who was among four surfers at a Chicago beach. "Good day to stay home. ... These are the days we're looking forward to."
The high waves brought cargo shipping to a standstill on the Great Lakes. Freighters as long as 1,000 feet haul loads of iron ore, coal and other bulk commodities on the lakes. Most if not all have took refuge in harbors or bays to escape the storm's wrath.
Several hundred residents of the lakeshore village of Pleasant Prairie in southeastern Wisconsin were urged to evacuate because of the effects of the storm, but officials said Tuesday there had been no reports of widespread flooding.
Sand whipped up by high winds spawned by the remnants of the hurricane prompted at least one northern Indiana school along Lake Michigan to cancel classes.
Ocean-like waves of around 10 feet crashed into the shoreline around Chicago, where the water can be as flat as glass on calm days and almost a tropical hue under a bright summer sky. On Tuesday, the water was dark, the color of slate.
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