The Witch of November: Great Lakes Gales Explained

Every fall, sailors on the Great Lakes brace for the "Witch of November," the nickname for the powerful storms that hit the lakes as the seasons change. For ships, they've been deadly. For lake surfers, they bring the biggest waves of the year.

What is the Witch of November?

"November gale" is the formal name. "Witch of November," "November Witch" and "the gales of November" are old sailors' slang for the same thing: a strong low-pressure storm crossing the Great Lakes in late fall, with winds that can reach hurricane force and waves big enough to sink ships.

Why do the Great Lakes get such big storms in November?

In late fall, cold air from Canada and the Arctic starts pushing south, while warm, moist air still flows up from the Gulf of Mexico. When the two collide over the Great Lakes, they can spin up an intense low-pressure system. The lakes add fuel: their water is still warmer than the air above it, which makes the lower atmosphere unstable and helps strong winds reach the surface.

The result is a storm that can have the pressure of a hurricane over an inland sea, with hundreds of miles of open water for the wind to build waves on.

Famous November storms

The Mataafa Storm (1905)

Over November 27–28, 1905, storm-force winds and heavy snow hit Lake Superior, damaging or destroying about 29 ships and killing 36 sailors. It's named for the steamer Mataafa, which broke apart just outside the Duluth harbour.

The Great Lakes Storm of 1913

Often called the "White Hurricane," this blizzard with hurricane-force winds hit from November 7 to 10, 1913. It sank or wrecked ships on four of the five lakes, with Lake Huron hit hardest, and remains the deadliest natural disaster in Great Lakes shipping history.

The Edmund Fitzgerald (1975)

On November 10, 1975, a November gale on Lake Superior sank the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald with all 29 of her crew. It's the most famous shipwreck on the Great Lakes. Read our full story: The Edmund Fitzgerald: Lake Superior's most famous shipwreck.

More recent gales

The witch still visits. A November 1998 storm hit pressure equal to a Category 2 hurricane. A late-October 2010 storm set record low pressures in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and brought 81 mph gusts and 19-foot seas to Duluth.

Why lake surfers wait for November

The same storms that sank ships make the best surf of the year. Sustained winds blowing across the length of a lake for half a day or more build the biggest, most powerful swell the lakes get. That's why fall, and especially November, is prime time for Great Lakes surfers, as long as you respect the cold and the conditions. See how to read a Great Lakes surf forecast and our Great Lakes Surfing FAQ.