Illinois Marine Forecasts
NWS marine forecasts for 6 coastal waters zones off Illinois, with current wind and seas from the nearest buoy and 3-day charts.
Illinois forecast register
Named coastal zones, current observations and official advisories
| Forecast zoneForecast zone | Wind nowWind now | ConditionsConditions |
|---|---|---|
| Calumet Harbor IL to Gary | WSW 8 ktWSW 8 kt | peak 24 kt Fri 12 PMpeak 24 kt Fri 12 PM |
| Lake Michigan from Wilmette Harbor to Michigan City | WSW 8 ktWSW 8 kt | peak 33 kt Fri 2 PMpeak 33 kt Fri 2 PM |
| Lake Michigan from Winthrop Harbor to Wilmette Harbor | W 10 ktW 10 kt | peak 32 kt Fri 1 PMpeak 32 kt Fri 1 PM |
| Northerly Island to Calumet Harbor | W 9 ktW 9 kt | peak 24 kt Fri 11 AMpeak 24 kt Fri 11 AM |
| Wilmette Harbor to Northerly Island | E 6 ktE 6 kt | peak 26 kt Fri 1 PMpeak 26 kt Fri 1 PM |
| Winthrop Harbor to Wilmette Harbor | WSW 6 ktWSW 6 kt | peak 28 kt Fri 1 PMpeak 28 kt Fri 1 PM |
Scroll across the table for all readings →
Illinois marine forecasts: common questions
Is there a small craft advisory off Illinois right now?
No advisory or warning is in force in any of the 6 Illinois marine zones at the moment. Advisories are issued per zone by the National Weather Service and appear at the top of a zone's page as soon as one is posted.
How windy is it on the Illinois coast right now?
Buoys off Illinois are reporting 6 to 10 knots, the strongest at Lake Michigan from Winthrop Harbor to Wilmette Harbor. A knot is 1.15 mph, so 20 knots is about 23 mph. Wind measured offshore is usually stronger than the same wind felt in a harbor.
How rough are the seas off Illinois today?
The highest seas measured right now are 1 ft off Calumet Harbor IL to Gary, out of the 6 of 6 Illinois zones with a wave-capable buoy nearby. Seas are significant wave height, the average of the highest third of the waves, so individual waves run noticeably higher than the figure.
Who issues the marine forecast for Illinois?
The National Weather Service, from its Chicago/Romeoville, IL office and its Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI office. Each of the 6 zones on this page gets its own bulletin in a legacy teletype format, reproduced here in full underneath the charts and the live buoy readings.