Illinois State Water Survey scientist Dr. David Kristovich led a group of researcher examining lake breezes in Chicago and have released the following:
Lake breezes that bring some relief on a scorching summer afternoon are thought to move more slowly through Chicago than through the surrounding suburbs. Scientists at the Illinois State Water Survey have discovered that this is often not the case and have gained new insights into the mysteries of how cities affect winds off a lake.
Looking at 44 lake-breezes from Lake Michigan in the Chicago region from March to November 2005, Jason Keeler, a graduate student in the University of Illinois Department of Atmospheric Sciences, and David Kristovich, head of the Center for Atmospheric Sciences in the Illinois State Water Survey, found that in many instances, the lake breeze acted as if the city wasn’t there. Nearly 30 percent of the lake breezes moving through the city reached as far as 30 miles inland.
More on this study can be found here:
http://www.isws.illinois.edu/hilites/press/120501lakebreeze.asp