Event narrative (NOAA)
Around 4:30 pm EDT, lifeguards on the New Buffalo public beach observed two men being pulled out by an apparent rip current. One of the men was able to grab onto a swim zone buoy. However his friend, a 25 year old man from Palos Hills, Illinois, was pulled out further into the lake. A lifeguard was able to rescue the man on the buoy, but waves as high as 12 feet prevented rescuers from reaching the other person. Eventually, a special Coast Guard boat able to handle the high waves, was called in and eventually found the 25 year old male's body floating along the shore. The other swimmer that was rescued refused medical treatment.
Other notable rip current events in Michigan
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.