ROCKFORD, Mich. (Apr. 13, 2014) Severe thunderstorms Saturday night brought damaging high winds, hail and torrential rains leaving thousands in the Rockford and Belmont areas without power.
Early morning thunderstorms on Sunday packed gusty winds, cloud to ground lightning and heavy rains to the already hard hit area creating a secondary threat of flooding.
With more heavy rain in the forecast tonight and Monday all eyes have now transitioned from severe weather to the potential for moderate flooding around West Michigan. One of the rivers that will likely see a large impact is the Rogue River in Rockford. The river is forecast to rise quickly as we head into the next work week bypassing flood stage by a foot. Flood Warnings for the Rogue River below Rockford have been posted as some residences along the river are likely to be impacted once the water rises to 9 feet.
All of the Interstate 96 corridor from Allegan to Ionia and north are under an Areal Flood Watch as additional heavy rains of 1 to 2 inches are possible Sunday night and Monday. Use caution around rivers, lakes and streams.
We will keep you up to date on the latest flood information as it becomes available. For the latest on the damage from Saturday’s severe storms visit our live blog at http://fox17online.com/2014/04/12/live-blog-strong-storms-move-through-west-michigan/