Very strong winds, big-time waves to cause 'worst impacts seen in many years'

Holland, Michigan, with waves of 12-18 feet at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. SpyGlass Condos

Some of the largest waves you can see on Lake Michigan are and will continue to pound beaches from Gary, Indiana, to Traverse City, Michigan.

The lake simply looks like an ocean during a tropical storm.

And it's all because of a strong area of low pressure leading to strong wind gusts of 30-50 mph along Lake Michigan.

Fortunately, the event will not last long. By Thursday afternoon, waves will be under 5 feet at nearly all beaches up and down Michigan's western shore.

Gusty winds and high waves today with some lakeshore dune and bluff erosion. Scattered power outages could occur near the coastline. #wmiwx pic.twitter.com/0jJnt5RYRD — NWS Grand Rapids (@NWSGrandRapids) October 16, 2019

Despite the short duration of the intense winds and waves, the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids says, "This storm will be of short duration but cause some of the worst impacts seen in many years."

When you add unusually high Lake Michigan water levels to the huge waves and powerful northwest winds, you get a perfect recipe for lakeshore flooding and significant dune and beach erosion.

This will lead to property concerns along the lakeshore, extremely dangerous beach and pier conditions and the possibility of power outages closer to Lake Michigan.

As always, if you snap any photos or take any videos, be sure to send them on in if you can do so safely!