# Edmund Fitzgerald sank 51 years ago tonight on Lake Superior; all 29 crew lost Published November 10, 2026, 1:46 PM ET ยท Updated November 10, 2026, 4:01 PM ET By Ryan Hall, Y'all Written by our automated news desk from National Weather Service data. The Edmund Fitzgerald sank on Lake Superior off Whitefish Point, Michigan, at about 7:15 PM EST on Nov. 10, 1975, and all 29 crew were lost. An ERA5 map shows 10-meter wind and sea level pressure at 7 PM EST that night. This week the upper Great Lakes have a Marginal risk of winter weather impacts Wednesday and Thursday. **What's new:** Added an ERA5 map of 10-meter wind and sea level pressure at 7 PM EST on Nov. 10, 1975. ## Key points - **Where:** Eastern Lake Superior, just north of the US-Canada line 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 and all 29 crew members were lost. - **Why it matters now:** November is still a hard month on the Great Lakes. This week the upper Great Lakes have a Marginal risk of winter weather impacts Wednesday and Thursday. ![51 years ago tonight, the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in this storm (graphic by the Ryan Hall, Y'all newsroom)](https://public.yallsoft.app/rhy/blog/images/2026-11-10-news-newsroom-73299551-0-1932.png) The Edmund Fitzgerald sank on Lake Superior off Whitefish Point, Michigan, at about 7:15 PM EST on Nov. 10, 1975, and all 29 crew were lost. Tonight is the 51st anniversary, and our map 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. It shows wind at 10 meters above the surface and sea level pressure at 7 PM EST on Nov. 10, 1975, about 15 minutes before the ship went down. Pressure and wind work together. Lower pressure at the center of a storm and tighter spacing between the pressure lines mean stronger wind. On this map you can see that tight pattern over the lake. NOAA scientists from the National Weather Service and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory re-examined the Nov. 9 to 10, 1975 storm with 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 puts the toll plainly: all 29 crew members were lost. ## The Great Lakes this week The upper Great Lakes are in the mix for winter weather again, though nothing like 1975. - **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 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. There is a small chance of a brief tornado, 2%. ## What to do If you work or play on the Great Lakes, check the marine forecast before you head out, and check it again right before you leave the dock. Our [winter storm outlook](/winter) tracks the upper Great Lakes through the week. [Live warnings](/warnings) show anything active right now, and you can sign up for free [Y'all Alerts](/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 pattern they were sailing through. More on: [November 2026 weather](https://ryanhallyall.com/news/topic/november-2026-weather) ## Sources - Copernicus Climate Change Service ERA5, Copernicus Climate Change Service (ECMWF) - [NOAA NWS + GLERL, full text](https://glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2006/20060016.pdf), National Weather Service --- Canonical: https://ryanhallyall.com/news/edmund-fitzgerald-sank-51-years-ago-tonight-on-lake-superior-all-29-crew-lost From Ryan Hall, Y'all (https://ryanhallyall.com). Always follow official warnings from the National Weather Service.