Sandy kicking up 20-foot waves on Lake Michigan

Winds reach more than 50 mph

CHICAGO — Superstorm Sandy is so vast it’s kicking up near record-high waves of 20 feet out on Lake Michigan, several hundred miles from the center of the storm that’s pounding the East Coast.

National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Krein said the record wave height on the lake is 23 feet, set around the same time last year during a strong winter storm.

Krein said what’s unusual is that this time, it isn’t a winter storm, but the outskirts of a former tropical system that is so large it’s producing storm conditions on Lake Michigan.

Krein says wind speeds were at 54 mph Tuesday morning.

Officials in Chicago are warning residents to stay away from the lakefront. Portions of the bicycle path along Lake Shore Drive are closed.