Armistice Day, Monday November 11, 1940, will be remembered as one of the worst storms to ever occur in the Midwestern States in recorded history. On a very warm morning, many duck hunters were going to their duck blinds on islands of the Mississippi River. That morning it was shirt sleeve weather with the promise of a bluebird warm day for duck hunting, But little did they know what was about to hit them. In the early afternoon, the wind changed and the temperature dropped suddenly, causing five foot waves on the river and the temperature to drop below freezing almost immediately . It began to rain and snow, and before long, the duck hunters were caught without the proper clothing and shelter for surviving such a storm. Thousands of ducks were funneling into the Mississippi River bottoms, flying ahead of the storm front and looking for shelter from the high winds and snow, because they knew what was about to come behind them. That dreadful day, 66 sailors died on Lake Michigan and 5 Duck hunters lost their lives, being stranded on islands in the Mississippi River and freezing to death before help could reach them. This Painting depicts the great storm approaching.