High waves wash out Chicago beaches as Lake Michigan reopens

CHICAGO (AP) — Beaches in Chicago were washed out by high waves on the first day the city had been set to reopen Lake Michigan to swimming since summer 2019. Waves Friday reached up to 11 feet high. A “beach hazards” alert from the National Weather Service forecast “life-threatening” swimming conditions through Saturday. Chicago’s beach season typically runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, but the city had kept its 22 Lake Michigan beaches closed last summer as part of its COVID-19 health and safety precautions. The National Weather Service is advising people to stay away from the shoreline. The city also shut down parts of its popular lakefront biking and pedestrian trail.