PROJECT ALERT NOTICE (MI) Continued high water in Michigan

Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2018 15:56:12 EST

Summary: The lower half of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan received as much as 4 inches of rain Monday-Wednesday. Some moderate to major flooding is continuing.

From Monday evening through Wednesday morning, 1-4 inches of rainfall fell throughout the southern half of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Highest rainfall occurred in the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo areas as well as far the southwestern corner of the state. It is currently dry although NWS is now predicting an additional 0.25-.50 inches Saturday-Sunday.

The St. Joseph River at Niles, which has operated since 1931,crested this morning with period of record flooding. The Grand River Basin is expected to crest near the 1975 period of record and sites from Ionia downstream to Lake Michigan are expected to be near their 2013 peaks from Friday-Sunday. The Kalamazoo River at Comstock is now predicted to exceed the period of record on Friday night, although the gage is located immediately downstream of a hydroelectric dam which has opened all of their gates.

Today, 12 USGS personnel from the Lansing and Grayling Field Offices are deployed working in 7 one or two person teams dependent on site difficulties. Crews had made 32 measurements as of this morning and expected to make 19 more today. Numerous rating extensions have been made.

No streamgages have been damaged although equipment will be removed from the Grand River near Eastmanville site tomorrow before the shelter is inundated.

USGS has been in contact with local NWS and North Central River Forecast Center (NCRFC) folks today regarding gage problems, flood predictions, rating extensions, etc. Photos of our crew working at the St Joseph River at Niles were provided to NCRFC.