KENOSHA, Wis. — The National Weather Service issued a Beach Hazard Statement for large waves and dangerous rip currents expected along Lake Michigan.
The advisory remains in effect until Wednesday afternoon.
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Kenosha Police stressed the dangers of swimming during hazardous conditions and are urging local residents to stay out of the water.
Simmons Island Beach is listed as one of the most susceptible to dangerous swimming conditions, according to the NWS.
“Lake Michigan is unlike most inland lakes,” Kenosha Police Public Information Officer Lt. Leo Viola said. “It’s really a sea. It may look calm and inviting on the surface of the water, but there’s always rip currents and different things that play there and it’s always unpredictable.”
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The warning arrives three days after two off-duty Kenosha Sheriff’s deputies and an off-duty Kenosha firefighter rescued two children and their mother from drowning at Simmons Island Beach.
Nobody was seriously injured in an event that could’ve turned tragic.
Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputies Kelsey Schwuchow and Christopher Bischoff were treated for water ingestion and are expected to return to work on Wednesday.
Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department
“Water rescue in general is a very risky thing to do,” Viola said. “They’re heroes in my book.”
Simmons Island Beach is one of Kenosha’s most popular destinations during the summer. While swimming is allowed in Lake Michigan, it is prohibited by city ordinance within 50 yards of the North Pier.
Violators can be fined $1,000.
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Liv Bradac, 18, of Round Lake, Illinois said she visits Simmons Island multiple times a week during the summer. She likes to chill on the beach and away from the pier, where dangerous rip currents are common.
“We just love coming here,” Bradac said. “We love Simmons (Island) because it’s just like beautiful scenery and the sand here, it’s really soft on the feet.”
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