GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (May 14, 2014) — A steady, soaking rain is likely for much of West Michigan over the next 36 to 48 hours, continuing the risk for at least some minor flooding on local rivers and streams.
As of Wednesday morning, several locations were already reporting high water. The White River near Whitehall was already slightly above flood stage, with the Muskegon River near Croton and the Grand River at Ionia showing levels that were above the “action stage.” That is the point at which high water may affect some low-lying areas, but is not technically flooding.
The above forecast from FOX 17 Future Track HD shows that many areas may see more than an inch of rainfall through Thursday night. The heaviest rain appears to fall south and east of Grand Rapids, which is somewhat fortunate in that the heaviest rain earlier in the week was mostly northwest of Grand Rapids.
Cool and somewhat damp weather will continue into the start of the weekend before some improvement is expected. Temperatures will bounce back to near normal by early next week.
The current river level forecasts aren’t yet accounting for all of the rain expected the next couple of days, so it’s hard to project just how high some of the local streams will rise. However, it’s likely we’ll see some additional flood advisories and/or warnings posted around the area if we see the type of rain that is expected. The latest river forecasts are always available on the National Weather Service hydrology page.
We’ll continue to keep you posted on FOX 17 News and on the Weather page as the forecast changes.
