GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Warm temperatures in West Michigan this weekend means a busy day at the beach in Grand Haven, but beachgoers should exercise caution.
Winds look to gust over 30 miles per hour, which could create high waves, rip currents and overall dangerous swimming conditions.
"Love coming out to the beaches and swimming and I'm a strong swimmer but they are dangerous and you've got to be careful of that kind of stuff," Jeff Wolcott said.
Wolcott has worked on fire departments for the past 35 years and was on the dive team in Lenawee County. He says he's seen from experience how dangerous Michigan's waters can be.
"People don't understand that these big lakes have pretty strong currents in them. They just think the water just comes into the shore and that and they don't understand how strong those currents are," Wolcott said.
Flags or signs at the beach indicate water conditions. Green means it's safe, yellow means to exercise caution and red means swimming is not advised due to high waves.
Jennifer Louzon, a Grand Haven resident visiting the beach with her daughter Yarra, says she's especially cautious at the beach now that she has a child.
"This is not a beach day where we're going to get in the water which is nice about the Grand Haven beach, we can come, they have a nice playground where the kids can play in the sand far enough away from the water that we don't have to worry about them running in," Louzon said.
Living in a beach community, Louzon says it's especially important for her to teach her child about water safety.
"They're going to be here a lot with their friends as pre-teens and teenagers so having a good sense of beach safety while they're this young makes me feel a little better about them coming here on their own as teenagers," Louzon said.
If you still plan on heading to the beach, make sure you find out what conditions are like. There should be a flag or sign posted, or you can visit the National Weather Service's website for updated beach conditions.
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