138 Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 



barren stretches of wind-blown sand which on hot days overheat 

 the layers of air above them just as the tendency of the lake is 

 to keep the air above lower than the surrounding air. 



Severe wind-storms, however, are rare, and tornadoes almost 

 unknown. In the record of August 19, 1900, occurs the entry: 

 "Warm this morning but a breeze came up about 2 p.m. from 

 south, then changed to north and about 3 p. m. heavy rain came up 

 from the north with strong wind, thunder and lightning, changing 

 more or less to all points of the compass and continuing until about 

 7 p.m. Brilliant lightning in the south until late at night; lake 

 the roughest I have seen it: steamers had difficulty making land- 

 ings, excursionists got drenched, one small sailboat capsized — two 

 boys — no damage. During p. m. temperature fell from 91.5° to 

 68.5°, a drop of 23°." Again in the journal record of September 

 11, 1900, occurs the note: "Cloudy; barometer fell rapidly during 

 morning; strong southwest wind began about 9 a. m. and continued 

 until 8 or 9 p. m. Severest wind known here for many years ; 

 several trees blown down ; lake very rough, rain followed the wind 

 at night." A pretty severe windstorm occurred early in the sum- 

 mer of 1908 and blew down the large ice-houses on the west side 

 of the lake. This appears to have been an unusually strong wind ; 

 none of the dwelling houses in the immediate vicinity, however, 

 was injured and the destruction of the ice-houses was due to their 

 being empty at the time and offering much surface and little resist- 

 ance to the wind. 



On July 8, 1913, there was a very severe storm soon after noon 

 from the northwest, a small tornado, lasting 30 minutes. It be- 

 gan as a severe windstorm, the wind being full of cutting sand. It 

 did trifling damage to some buildings and a great deal to forests, 

 the woodlands around the lake being strewn with fallen timber — 

 many trees being uprooted, and many twisted off from 10 to 20 

 feet above the ground. The storm was accompanied by some rain, 

 and by thunder and lightning, the lightning striking one or more 

 trees on Long Point. A few miles north of the lake there was 

 at the same time a severe hail-storm which cut the corn into 

 ribbons. 



On the other hand, though local calms are frequent, periods of 

 widespread calm when the entire surface of the lake lies like 

 an unruffled mirror, are rather rare; and pretty rough conditions 

 when the lake is covered with white-caps and it is very unpleas- 

 ant, though not especially dangerous, to be out on the lake with a 

 rowboat, are not rare, particularly during the spring and autumn. 



