Weather news
Edmund Fitzgerald sank 51 years ago tonight on Lake Superior; all 29 crew lost
By Ryan Hall, Y'all Weather Desk ยท Published
Written by our automated news desk from National Weather Service data.
Key points
- Where: Lake Superior, just north of the international boundary off Whitefish Point, at roughly 46.99 N, 85.11 W.
- When: About 7:15 PM EST on Nov. 10, 1975 (0015 UTC on Nov. 11). That is 51 years ago tonight.
- What happened: The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in a November storm. All 29 crew members were lost.
- What it shows: A modern re-creation of the storm's wind and sea level pressure at 7 PM EST, about 15 minutes before the ship went down.
- Why it matters now: November is still a hard month on the Great Lakes. Our winter outlook has a Marginal risk of winter weather impacts over the upper Great Lakes Wednesday and Thursday.
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank on Lake Superior 51 years ago tonight, at about 7:15 PM EST on Nov. 10, 1975, and all 29 crew were lost. The ship went down just north of the US-Canada line off Whitefish Point, Michigan, in a storm we can now map with modern weather data. Our picture shows the wind and pressure pattern over the lake at 7 PM Eastern that night.
The storm, re-created from modern data
Our map is built from ERA5, a European reanalysis. That is a computer re-creation of past weather. The map shows 10 meter wind and sea level pressure at 7 PM EST on Nov. 10, 1975.
Pressure and wind work together. Lower pressure at the center of a storm and tighter spacing between pressure lines on the map mean stronger winds. We are showing you the pattern, not quoting a wind speed or a wave height, because the data we pulled for this map is the pattern itself.
NOAA scientists from the National Weather Service and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory re-examined the Nov. 9 to 10, 1975 storm using today's technology in a 2006 study in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.
Where the ship was lost
The Fitzgerald went down at about 46.99 N, 85.11 W, in the eastern end of Lake Superior. That is just north of the international boundary and off Whitefish Point on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The time of loss, 0015 UTC on Nov. 11, works out to 7:15 PM EST on Nov. 10.
The National Weather Service's own history of the wreck is blunt on the toll: all 29 crew members were lost.
The Great Lakes this week
The upper Great Lakes are in the mix for winter weather again.
- Wednesday, Nov. 11: A Marginal risk of winter weather impacts across the upper Great Lakes.
- Thursday, Nov. 12: The same Marginal risk over the upper Great Lakes, plus the higher terrain of northern New York and Vermont.
- Friday, Nov. 13: Colder air moving over the lower Great Lakes should bring scattered lake-effect rain and snow showers. Accumulations look minor across Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Farther south, Wednesday brings a Level 1 of 5 (Marginal) severe storm risk across the lower Ohio and western Tennessee valleys, including Indianapolis, Louisville and Nashville. The main concern is a few strong wind gusts as a cold front moves through, with a small chance of a brief tornado. The risk for that is 2%.
What to do
If you work or play on the Great Lakes, check the marine forecast before you head out, and do it again right before you leave the dock. Our winter storm outlook tracks the upper Great Lakes through the week, and live warnings show anything active right now. You can also sign up for free Y'all Alerts to get warnings sent to you.
Bottom line
The Edmund Fitzgerald and her 29 crew were lost on Lake Superior at about 7:15 PM EST, 51 years ago tonight. Our map of that evening's wind and pressure shows the storm they were in.
More on November 2026 weather
Sources
- Copernicus Climate Change Service ERA5, Copernicus Climate Change Service (ECMWF)
- NOAA NWS + GLERL, full text, National Weather Service