Surf Forecasts:
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you – this is a tough one for the Chicago Breaks (Lake Michigan).
Looking at the whole 16-day window, I’ve got to be honest: there’s just no surf to speak of. Not a single wave to ride the whole stretch. The forecast shows zero swell energy (0) for every single day, so we’re looking at flat, glassy lake conditions pretty much the whole time. It’s a real bummer, but it happens.
The water temp is a warm 75°F which is far warmer than normal for this time of year, so if you were hoping for a paddle, it’s perfect for a swim, just not for surfing.
We’ve got a long gap here. From Thursday the 16th of July all the way through to Friday the 31st of July, there’s nothing to recommend. The wind will switch around – we’ll see some glassy mornings like the 17th and 23rd, and even some clean offshore breezes from the SW on the 18th and 28th, but without any swell to push, it’s all just flat water.
For a break that’s fairly consistent, this is a rare blank run. Don’t give up hope though – forecasts can change. But for now, leave the boards at home. The lake is taking a nap.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 34°C on Sat afternoon, min 23°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 30mm), heaviest during Mon night. Warm (max 31°C on Mon afternoon, min 17°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ENE on Sun night, fresh winds from the N by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | cross-on | on | on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-off |
High Tide | |||||||||||||||||||||
Low Tide | |||||||||||||||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | | |  | | | | | |  | | |  | | | | |
 | 5:28 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — |
 | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:17 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 29 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 30 | 29 | 25 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 33 | 34 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 30 | 31 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 22 |
Feels °C | 31 | 29 | 26 | 33 | 35 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 28 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 15 | 20 | 22 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1953 | 1782 | 2242 | 1863 | 1723 | 1871 | 712 | 1128 | 1120 | 1126 | 1127 | 1260 | 1206 | 1304 | 1239 | 1457 | 1302 | 1438 | 1114 | 1164 | 1170 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Lake Michigan | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Chicago Breaks surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Chicago Breaks Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Chicago Breaks provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Chicago Breaks can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Chicago Breaks surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Chicago Breaks) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Chicago Breaks may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Chicago Breaks is 13 km (8 miles) from Evergreen Park. If you plan a vacation in Lake Michigan, look for hotels and other accommodation in Evergreen Park. Evergreen Park has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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