Aerial footage shows houses flooded by the Sturgeon River in Indian River
Aerial footage shows houses flooded by the Sturgeon River in Indian River
With up to four inches of rain possible in metro Detroit, all of southeast Michigan is under a National Weather Service flood watch Tuesday, April 14, starting at 8 p.m. and lasting through late night Thursday, April 16.
Several rounds of showers and thunderstorms are expected to begin heading through the area tonight. Tonight there’s an enhanced risk, the third-highest out of five risk levels, for large hail, damaging wind and isolated tornados south of Interstate 69, according to the flood watch from the Detroit/Pontiac NWS office at 3:13 p.m.
The Great Lakes Water Authority is urging residents of low-lying and flood-prone locations to remain vigilant and remove valuable items from basements, Navid Mehram, the chief operating officer of wastewater operating services, said in a news release Tuesday afternoon.
“The predicted rainfall is within the design capacity of the regional system, which is fully dewatered and prepared for wet weather,” Mehram said. “In anticipation of the approaching large storm event, GLWA is closely monitoring conditions, and the wastewater conveyance system has been fully reviewed to ensure operational readiness.”
Cities specifically listed in the National Weather Service Detroit/Pontiac office’s flood watch from 9:41 a.m. include Adrian, Ann Arbor, Bad Axe, Bay City, Caro, Detroit, Flint, Howell, Lapeer, Midland, Monroe, Owosso, Pontiac, Port Huron, Saginaw, Sandusky and Warren.
“Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations,” according to the flood watch. “Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. Low-water crossings may be flooded.”
The rain is not just expected in metro Detroit. Flood watches have been issued around the state, along with some warnings.
On Wednesday, more storms could sweep through the area, the agency said, with an isolated risk of some severe weather packing hail, 60 mph wind and hail. Temperatures will remain summer-like, with a high of 75 degrees and a low of 61 degrees in the forecast.
Contact Natalie Davies at ndavies@freepress.com.
