Certainly Lake Michigan is famously dangerous to boaters, especially when the "gales of November come early," but it's not like you are gonna get sucked off the beach by rogue waves, although there are some strong rip tides along the Door County peninsula. People die out on the lake every year, usually there is more of an alcohol/inexperience component then weather. Near shore disasters in Milwaukee are more about non-swimmers falling off the seawall/pier or through the ice then anything involving riptides or waves.