This National Weather Service map shows the projected wave heights for Lake Michigan at 4 a.m. Thursday.

WEST MICHIGAN - The occasional wave measuring 25 feet tall on Lake Michigan is expected as part of the winter storm hitting the Great Lakes.

To be that in some sort of context, that's similar to the wave heights on Lake Superior during the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, based on research since the 1975 tragedy. According to computer models, significant wave heights on Nov. 10, 1975 were 25.5 feet, while it is possible rogue waves approached 50 feet that day.

A marine storm warning, which is worse than a gale warning, has been issued by the National Weather Service for Lake Michigan from a point 5 nautical miles off the Michigan shore to a point in the middle of the lake. It extends from off the coast of Manistee south to the Michigan-Indiana border.

The marine storm warning runs from 1 p.m. today to 7 a.m. Thursday. In addition, a gale warning for that same section of Lake Michigan runs until 1 p.m. today.

Waves are expected to average about 20 feet with the occasional 25-footer during the marine storm warning. Storm-force winds up to 63 mph are part of the warning.

A marine storm warning calls for recreational boaters should remain in port and commercial vessels should prepare for very strong winds and dangerous lake conditions and consider remaining in port.

The gale warning, which covers the same part of Lake Michigan, calls for mariners without proper experience to seek safe harbor.

The Lake Michigan area near the Michigan shore also will gale conditions. A gale warning, extending from Manistee south to the Michigan-Indiana border, has been issued for 3 p.m. today until 10 p.m. Thursday.

The gale warning for the near shore calls for 2-5 feet waves for the rest of this morning, 4-8 feet for this afternoon and 6-11 feet tonight.

Eric Gaertner is a journalist with MLive.com. He can be reached at egaertne@mlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricGaertner1.