So after recently getting clobbered with snow we had 2 days of warm rain with temps in the 60’s so rivers all around are setting records and my wife and I swear that Lake Michigan rose a bit. The St Joseph River is cresting at a record 15-17 feet and flood level is 11 feet.
2 pics of Lake Michigan today. Just a little shore ice then open water then a thin band of ice out a ways and then open water again. 2 pics of St Joseph River today. Pic with dog shows a flooded soybean field where the river is normally over a small ridge at the far line of trees. Other pic shows Riverview Park which is closed to the public today (since it is underwater). The main river channel is to the left of the pic.
Still solid ice on the lakes up here. But there’s a variety of weather. I could have paddled in my driveway on Wednesday. Yesterday and today I can skate on it.
Lake Michigan probably did rise: Today’s report on Great Lakes water levels: “In the past month, water levels for Lakes Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, and Erie have risen by 1, 11 and 5 inches, respectively. Lake Superior declined by 3 inches since last month, and Lake Ontario remained at the same level. Currently, water levels for all the Great Lakes remain above long-term average levels and higher than this time last year. Lake Superior continues to see water levels close to the record high February water level and is currently 2 inches below the record high from 1986. In the next month, Lake Superior is expected to decline an inch, while Lakes Michigan-Huron and St. Clair are expected to rise an inch. Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are also expected to rise, by 5 and 2 inches, respectively.”
So I wonder if Lake Michigan gets “swollen” by the mouth of a river during floods. Here’s a pic from yesterday of the St Joseph just before it dumps into Lake Michigan. It looks to be a foot or two above normal. Some of the beaches seemed noticeably smaller.
Today I was able to paddle in the soybean field at the end of the road so that was fun. But unfortunately for past 2 days we’ve also seen a coast guard helicopter making regular runs to help evacuate flooded neighborhoods nearby.
The first Spring that I lived in Michigan (1996) there was so much rain that Buck Creek, the tiny trout stream that passed behind my rented townhouse in Wyoming (suburb of Grand Rapids) flooded out into a fair-sized lake right up to the building. My place had a below grade bedroom with a window at ground level with a big sill. My cats would sit there and watch the ducks paddle by at eye level. Was kind of cool until the carpeting in that room started to go squish-squish.
I was in Grand Rapids a week ago and the Grand River was way over it’s banks and that was before the 2 days of warm rain on top of snow. But GR didn’t have nearly as much snow as St Joe.
We seem to be setting way too many weather records around here.
We have been 80 F the last 2 days. I believe that is a new high for these Feb dates. Paddled about 14 miles on the Enoree River here yesterday. Was fun and didn’t have any portages! Looks like winter flooding cleared the old jams, and didn’t drop any new trees.
@castoff said:
We have been 80 F the last 2 days. I believe that is a new high for these Feb dates. Paddled about 14 miles on the Enoree River here yesterday. Was fun and didn’t have any portages! Looks like winter flooding cleared the old jams, and didn’t drop any new trees.
Yep. The video was taken at Silver Beach, same spot as my pic above. Those conditions are not that unusual since the prevailing wind from Lake Michigan blows straight up the river at it’s mouth. Once we saw a 40 foot power boat coming off the lake and into the river under full power to avoid being gobbled by the following sea even though it’s a no wake zone. On less windy days we’ve seen a big party boat give up and turn around and in smaller boats you can sometimes see the wife demanding that they turn around. And occasionally you’ll see a happy guy with white hair in a sailboat driving straight out through rough water with the boat leaned way over due to the wind…it’s cool to see how much better the sailboats handle rough water than power boats.
Hey castoff and eckilson, looks like a great day on the water! Our river will remain at flood stage for about a week. I’ve been on the river before when full size trees go cruising by and it’s a bit spooky.
@raisins said:
either there were visitors to that location prior to you, or you guys have some very strange feet
Yes there were prior visitors to the river. This area of the Enoree runs through National Forest and private forest. We pass only one house on a hill near Kemp’s bridge and one house on the Broad River. We lunched at a spot where I have twice seen wild hogs swimming across the Enoree. We often see deer standing in or swimming the river. Lots of bird and wildlife to be seen along this river, but of course some days you hit the jackpot and others they got the memo that you were coming.
@castoff said:
We have been 80 F the last 2 days. I believe that is a new high for these Feb dates. Paddled about 14 miles on the Enoree River here yesterday. Was fun and didn’t have any portages! Looks like winter flooding cleared the old jams, and didn’t drop any new trees.
Unfortunately there was a story on the local news tonight about a kayaker that was lost on the Paw Paw River in the Coloma/Watervliet area just east of here. Still missing after 24 hours.
I also heard on the radio that some local farmers are concerned that the St Joseph river may have washed away some of their best topsoil in some spots.
Water levels are slowly going down. Mid 60s yesterday. Mid 50s today. Mid 30s tomorrow.
@TomL said:
Unfortunately there was a story on the local news tonight about a kayaker that was lost on the Paw Paw River in the Coloma/Watervliet area just east of here. Still missing after 24 hours.
That’s two in 24 hours. So, so awful and I have to wonder if they were wearing PFDs.
In my response to the Michigan Waterways Commission, one of my comments was that if they were really serious about paddler safety, they’d recommend that wearing a PFD be made mandatory. If it’s not on you, you don’t have it.
