Chicagoans’ last chance of the season to enjoy a dip at the beach is also coming with potentially dangerous weather conditions.
It’s one of the reasons Stacey Henner and her friends opted to visit Montrose Beach on Friday instead of waiting for the holiday weekend.
“The three of us took off work today to take our 3-year-olds to the beach to enjoy the beautiful day,” she told NBC 5 as her daughter played in the sand.
According to the National Weather Service, the arrival of a cold front and a shift in winds brings with it the potential for high waves and strong currents Sunday and Monday.
“The waves do increase the danger a little bit. Hopefully we’ll still be getting people on the water, will depend on the conditions,” Rex Flodstrom with Kayak Chicago said.
Flodstrom expects a busy weekend, but is also watching conditions closely.
The city’s park district will determine whether conditions are safe enough for swimming each day this weekend by 11 a.m.
You can check the park district’s website or look for the green, yellow, or red flag at the city’s 27 beaches. Lifeguards are on duty from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“Labor Day Weekend historically has been one of the deadliest weekends on the Great Lakes since we’ve been tracking the drownings,” Dave Benjamin, co-founder of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project told NBC Chicago.
His advocacy group has tracked 77 drownings in the Great Lakes so far this year, with at least 44 of them happening in Lake Michigan. They’ve pushed for ways to keep beaches safer, like requiring water safety education in Illinois schools. They accomplished that for pre-K through sixth grade, but now want to expand it for high school students.
“Most people have this false perception that knowing how to swim is water safety,” Benjamin said.
Aside from wearing a life jacket and not taking risks on the water, he also said it’s about having a plan.
If you find yourself struggling in the water, try not to panic – instead flip, float and follow.
Flip on your back and keep your head above water to conserve energy, and follow a safe path out of the water.
“A crowded beach, you don’t have eyes on the water actively scanning,” Benjamin said, noting that it’s easy for people not to notice the signs of someone struggling in the water.
NBC Chicago covered several drownings and near drownings this summer on city beaches. The most recent drowning incident in Chicago happened Aug. 18, when a 16-year-old went underwater and never resurfaced. His body was recovered a few days later.