PROJECT ALERT NOTICE (MI) Widespread minor flooding in central and northern Michigan

Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2019 09:50:54 EDT

Summary: Widespread action stage to moderate flooding is occurring in parts of Michigan as a result of recent warm weather, rain, and snowmelt.

In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan several days of rainfall, warmer temperatures, and snowmelt has led to widespread high streamflows. As recently as a month ago much of the northern part of the Upper Peninsula had 8-15 inches of snow water equivalent (SWE). Fortunately, the past month has been cool enough that much of the snow has slowly melted reducing the impact of the high SWE somewhat. Eleven sites with USGS gages utilized by NWS are currently in near- to minor-flooding stage, while one site, Sturgeon River near Alston, remains in moderate-flooding stage although it is receding rapidly this morning. Two sites with less than 5 years of record have had period-of-record flows in the past 24 hours.

At this point, no gages have been damaged. Yesterday one two-person crew was able to measure 3 sites, but were unable to measure the Sturgeon River near Alston account extreme turbulence at the cableway section and considerable floating debris at the bridge at State Highway M-38 a few miles downstream. This morning they were successful. Two two-person crews are deployed today and expect to measure an additional 5 or 6 sites.

In the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, two sites in the western Muskegon River basin have come down from minor flooding stage over the past several days although one site in the Grand River basin is predicted to remain above the NWS action stage for several more days.