Huge storm expected to bring towering 30-foot waves to Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario could soon feel the proverbial wrath of Poseidon as a "rare and historic" storm bears down on the Greater Toronto Area, expected to bring travel chaos and commuter headaches Friday morning, just in time for the holidays.

If the barrage of winter storm watches, blizzard warnings, rainfall warnings, and special weather statements weren't foreboding enough, meteorologists now anticipate some unbelievably stormy conditions on Lake Ontario.

Global News Chief Meteorologist Anthony Farnell tweeted out a rather ominous image from the U.S. Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory showing enormous wave swells expected around the dinner hour on Friday that could reach staggering heights of 28 feet near the middle of the freshwater body.

Has there ever been 30 ft waves on Lake Ontario? pic.twitter.com/gNnDY9j3HQ

— Anthony Farnell (@AnthonyFarnell) December 22, 2022

Wave heights will drop off considerably in shallower depths, including areas like Toronto along the shoreline, but for anyone caught out on these exceptionally choppy unsalted seas, it could get real bad, real quick.

These wouldn't just be among the tallest waves seen on Lake Ontario, but some of the tallest ever recorded across the entire Great Lakes.

Back in 2017, Great Lakes Observing System data buoys recorded 28.8-foot waves on Lake Superior, which stood for a few years as the tallest on record for the vast interconnected inland seas.

In late 2021, even taller 34-foot waves were witnessed on Lake Superior, known as the harshest and most dangerous on the Great Lakes.

A similar storm in early 2020 storm brought huge waves to the Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario, though that forecast topped out at a comparably small 19 feet.

Boaters should definitely heed the warnings and steer clear of waters on Friday, unless they want to experience a real-life version of the 2000 Clooney-Wahlberg disaster blockbuster The Perfect Storm.