John D. Leitch damaged in Welland Canal grounding
While upbound in the Welland Canal Wednesday, the John D Leitch reported that she had gone aground, sustained damage and was taking on water after hitting the abutments of old number 10 railway bridge. She is now tied up at the north end of Wharf 12 in Port Colborne for inspections and repairs. She is loaded for Toledo.
Janey Anderson, Nathan Attard
20-foot waves possible on Great Lakes
Waves as high as 20 feet could be possible on the Great Lakes and flooding occur in parts of southeast Michigan as a multi-day storm system settles into the region, according to the National Weather Service.
Waves of 12-16 feet are expected in the central parts of lakes Huron and Michigan, with some occasionally reaching 20 feet, according to Kevin Kacan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in White Lake Township.
Winds gusting to 50 mph could generate towering wave heights of 10 to 15 feet in the southwest parts of Lake Erie and Lake Huron.
On the southwest shores of Lake Michigan, 40 mph gusts near Chicago could generate waves as high as 16 feet through Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Chicago.
A cold front — the division between warmer and cooler air — which spans over a thousand miles from the shores of the Great Lakes downs to the Gulf of Mexico will interact with a massive area of high pressure along the eastern seaboard, funneling in moisture to fuel the storm, forecast to soak millions from Wednesday to Friday.
