Memorial Day traditionally marks the unofficial start of summer. Lake County residents will soon be heading for lakes and beaches. Before you go, make sure you check to see if your favorite beach is open for swimming.

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, daily information is available about local Lake Michigan and inland lake swim bans through the Lake County Health Department/Community Health Center’s website by visiting: http://www.lakecountyil.gov/2385/Beach-Advisory. The Health Department is also sending information about Lake Michigan swim bans to the Great Lakes Commission, which has created a free phone application called myBeachCast available at http://glin.net/beachcast/ for beaches in the eight Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. The phone app not only tells whether the beach is open or closed, but also provides the temperature, humidity, visibility and wind speed at each beach.