Our first big gale of the year on Lake Superior has already claimed it's the first victim of 2021. Downtown Grand Marais flooded on November 11 due to waves coming off Lake Superior. This isn't the first time it's happened.

Twitter user and freelance photographer Bryan Hansel posted a video on Twitter showing how there was a ton of standing water in Downtown Grand Marais.

According to Bryan, there are 8-12 foot waves on Lake Superior. The National Weather Service forecast has called for wind gusts as high as 45 mph. That kind of wind can make some pretty big waves on Lake Superior. The National Weather Service has also issued a gale warning for Thursday afternoon until 6 pm, and also a small craft advisory. They report waves up to 12 feet possible as well.

Visit Cook County has a live harbor cam where you can watch the waves. There's some pretty big ones breaking over the wall.

Hansen also offers some history on the Grand Marais downtown flooding issue. The parking lot was built below the lake. So strong rains or heavy winds from the North East cause flooding. Today was a particularly bad day, but local businesses have been built to withstand the flooding without damage. Fortunately, it's just a big mess that eventually needs to be pumped out.

Bryan shared a throwback video of him kayaking in downtown Grand Marais back in 2010.

More rain and snow are in the forecast. Things may get messier before they get better, but Grand Marais locals aren't new to this flooding.

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