GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Torrential rains fell again across much of West Michigan Saturday night/Sunday morning as a frontal system made its way through the Great Lakes. Many of the storms, although not severe, were accompanied by extensive lightning.
Take a look at the following statement issued about 1:30 AM Sunday morning from the National Weather Service Prediction Center:
SUMMARY…A THUNDERSTORM BAND MOVING IN FROM LAKE MICHIGAN IS
SHOWING EXCEPTIONAL RAINFALL RATES. EVEN ASSUMING RADAR ESTIMATES
ARE HALF CORRECT, NUMEROUS OCCURRENCES OF FLASH FLOODING ARE
ANTICIPATED.
THE EXPECTATION IS FOR THIS BAND TO MAINTAIN ITSELF AS IT MOVES
THROUGH THE LOWER PENINSULA OF MI, WITH RAINFALL RATES UP TO 2.5″
AN HOUR POSSIBLE, WHICH WELL EXCEEDS FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE VALUES.
LOCAL AMOUNTS OF 2-4″ ARE POSSIBLE, WHICH SHOULD LEAD TO NUMEROUS
OCCURRENCE OF FLASH FLOODING.
Rainfall reports received in to the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids already have Olive Center in Ottawa County at 2.1″, Norton Shores at 2.3″, Spring Lake 2.0″, Cloverville at 1.3″, and Grand Haven at 1.1″. Muskegon has broken the daily rainfall record for July 12 by recording 1.51″. The old record for that date was 1.13″ set back in 1922.
We are likely to receive more reports during the early morning hours of standing water, perhaps roads temporarily washed out, and other flooding issues. Keep an close eye on creeks, rivers, and streams if you live next to or near any of these.
The attached snapshot is from National Weather Service doppler radar of storm total precipitation. Note the yellow band through Ottawa County and the green band in to Kent County. These areas experienced between two to three inches of rain (as estimated by radar). It may be more in some areas.
Sunday will be a much drier day with some sunshine by afternoon, but a few more showers and t’storms are possible later Monday. With colder air filtering in to Michigan on Tuesday, instability showers and even some lake-effect rain showers are possible Tuesday as well. Get the complete forecast at www.fox17online.com/weather. Send any weather photos to weather@fox17online.com.
