Grand Marais: Amazing “Landicane ’10” storm photos

Check out the excellent pictures from the Duluth NWS website by photographer Bryan Hansel.

The images show the impacts of the storm in Grand Marais Harbor. The photos, taken Wednesday, show the effects of high waves and heavy surf pounding Grand Marais Harbor during the overnight and early morning hours early Wednesday.

Huge wave slams the lighthouse on Grand Marais Harbor.

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Wave break shoots a jet of water well above top of lighthouse which stands 48 feet above Lake Superior on a quiet day.

Compare the above images with my image below taken in August.

The pounding surf took its toll on boats in Grand Marais Harbor Wednesday.

Boat beached near the Angry Trout Cafe on the southwest end of Grand Marais Harbor. Highway 61 is just a few feet above this boat.

Sailboat suffers the same fate on the other end of the harbor. No "sailor's delight" here.

The "storm surge" also innundated the harbor breakwater at times. Check out the reference image I took below in August (of my son Luke) and the breakwater on a quieter day.

Comapre the above image with the Bryan Hansel photo from Wednesday.

Waves pound and overrun the breakwater at Grand Marais Wednesday.

As for wave heights, the western mid-lake bouy Station 45006 locatd 48NM North of Ironwood, MI. (about 50 mi SE of Grand Marais) recorded wave heights of nearly 19 feet at the height of the storm around daybreak Wednesday morning.

Waves reached at least 26 feet in eastern Lake Superior at the buoy Wednesday on Slate Island near the Ontario shore.

It is reasonable to infer that waves of at least 10 to 15+ feet pounded Grand Marais Harbor Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Pretty amazing stuff for the Land Hurricane of 2010!

PH