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Great Lakes Experience Record Floods
It’s been raining here in the Great Lakes. A lot. And cities like Grand Rapids and East Lansing, MI , Chicago, IL, and Toledo, OH are bearing the brunt. Rivers – the veins and arteries of cities in the Great Lakes – are setting record levels and flushing water onto nearby human and wildlife communities. What’s more, weather forecasts call for additional heavy rain this week.
Since 1958 days with heavy precipitation have increased over the region by 31 percent. Climate models predict this trend to continue in the Great Lakes, with wild swings between heavy rain events and intensely dry conditions.
As the climate changes we can expect more river events like these:
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Mayor George Heartwell declared a state of emergency as more flooding is expected. The water is predicted to crest at 22 feet.
Even the Grand Raggidy Roller Girls are going to have to find a temporary place to bout, or will need to put on flippers instead of skates. Their facility is now underwater.
East Lansing, Michigan
The Michigan State University Fight Song begins like this:
On the banks of the Red Cedar,
There’s a school that’s known to all; …
Right now, the banks of the Red Cedar and parts of Michigan State campus are underwater. The river crested at 7.9 feet Monday morning, above the 7-foot flood stage. Relating even more to the Fight Song – it is the athletic fields left waterlogged.
Chicago, Illinois
The Des Plaines River was twice its flood stage on Sunday. According to readings by the National Weather Service the river crested at 9.98 feet. The Des Plaines River is amongst these other rising rivers: Fox River, Rock River, DuPage River, the north branch of the Chicago River, and Salt Creek.
Jonathon Monken, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, said
Based on the forecasting right now, we expect to meet and exceed flood levels—historic flood levels … So record flood stages are absolutely possible.
Flooding also required closure of several local forest preserves to the public. The Brookfield Zoo closed its gates for only the third time in its history.
Toledo, Ohio
Northwestern Ohio is experiencing a very wet April. Over the past weekend more than 2″ of rain fell in many parts of far northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan in a 48 hour period. The Maumee River is about a foot above flood stage at Defiance, and it is nearing its crest.
Spring Flood Risk Forecast
NOAA released a springtime flood risk map for the Great Lakes and the United States.
