WEST MICHIGAN (March 29, 2014) — For the last couple months we’ve been talking about the possibility of moderate to major flooding here in West Michigan with the record amount of snowfall we’ve had this year. That said, we’ve been lucky enough to see a slow melt and only a few marginal bouts of rain here and there. Frankly, one of the best scenarios we could ask for.
We are not completely out of the flooding woods yet. Heavy Spring rains could still pose major problems in certain locations along rivers. FLOOD ADVISORIES remain in effect for a few areas in West Michigan as some of these rivers are at/around/slightly over bank full. The biggest river basin is the Grand River. A Flood Advisory remains in effect along the Grand River at Ionia until at least next Friday. The current stage is 17.4 feet, bank full is 13.5 feet, and flood stage is 21.0 feet. The forecast calls for it to rise to 17.9 feet by Sunday afternoon
A Flood Advisory continues along the Grand River at Lowell through at least next Friday. Current stage is about 10 feet, bank full is 10 feet, and flood stage is 15 feet. The river is forecast to rise to 11.3 feet by Monday afternoon.
A Flood Advisory continues along the Grand River at Comstock Park through at least next Friday. Current stage is 11.1 feet, bank full is 11 feet. Flood stage is 12 feet. The river is forecast to rise to 11.7 feet by Wednesday morning.
A Flood Advisory continues along the Grand River at Grand Rapids through at least next Friday evening. Current stage is 13.1 feet, bank full is 12 feet, and flood stage is 18 feet. The forecast calls for it to rise to 14.1 feet by Wednesday morning.
A Flood Advisory continues along the Flat River near Smyrna in Ionia County through next Saturday. The current stage is 4.5 feet, bank full is 5.5 feet, and flood stage is 8.5 feet. The river is forecast to rise to 5.8 feet by Thursday evening.
A Flood Advisory continues for the Thornapple River above Hastings in Barry County through next Saturday. The current stage is 5.3 feet, bank full is 5 feet, and flood stage is 7 feet. The river is forecast to rise to 5.8 feet by Sunday afternoon (March 30).
A Flood Advisory continues for the Thornapple River near Caledonia through late Thursday. The current stage is 6.9 feet, bank full is 8 feet, and flood stage is 10 feet. The river is forecast to rise to 8.9 feet Tuesday evening.
Unfortunately, there’s more rain in the forecast over the next several days, plus we’ll see more snow melt both Sunday and Monday with temperatures from 50 to 60 respectively. The last time Grand Rapids hit 60+ degrees was way back on November 17, 2013. We actually had heavy rain, severe thunderstorms, wind damage, and at least a couple of tornadoes reported!
The attached photo was snapped in downtown GR during the record flooding event we experienced in Spring of 2013. Lets hope we don’t see a repeat of that!
Get the complete forecast at www.fox17online.com/weather.
