Seventeen people have drowned in Lake Michigan so far in 2026, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. The most recent death came Sunday, July 19, when 22-year-old Jalen Robinson of Gary, Indiana, went under at Marquette Park Beach and never resurfaced.

Two days later, the National Weather Service issued a beach hazards statement for the Lake County shoreline, warning that dangerous rip currents and high waves made swimming life-threatening. The Lake County coast includes Forest Park Beach in Lake Forest and Sunrise Beach in Lake Bluff.

The statement, issued Tuesday, July 21, was set to expire Wednesday afternoon, July 22. As of Wednesday morning, the NWS page for Lake Forest showed no active hazardous weather conditions.

A deadly week on the lake

Robinson and two friends were jumping in waves when they lost their footing and drifted into deeper water, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources reported. His friends made it back to shore. Robinson was later pronounced dead at Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary.

Days before Robinson's death, Chicago police pulled a 70-year-old man from Lake Michigan near Montrose Harbor after he became completely submerged. He was hospitalized in critical condition.

Across all five Great Lakes, 35 people have drowned in 2026, the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project reported.

What forecasters said

NWS forecasters described conditions during the Tuesday-Wednesday advisory as life-threatening, particularly for inexperienced swimmers. They urged all swimmers and boaters to stay out of the water and warned against venturing onto piers, jetties, and breakwalls.

Alex Neel, a public information officer with the Indiana DNR, explained the hidden danger of Lake Michigan's bottom in a statement to the Chicago Tribune on Monday, July 20: "A person could be standing in waist-deep water on a sandbar, and take one step and find themselves in [8 feet] of water."

What Lake Forest and Lake Bluff beachgoers should know

Lake Michigan conditions can shift quickly, even on calm-looking days. Forecasters advise checking the NWS forecast page before heading to the beach and swimming only when lifeguards are on duty.

The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project posts safety guidance at glsrp.org. Their rip current advice: don't fight the current. Swim parallel to shore until free, then head back to land at an angle.

Residents planning trips to Forest Park Beach or Sunrise Beach should monitor flag postings at the beach entrance before entering the water.