Front Page News

Flood worries

Historic snowstorm adds to ongoing problems

MARQUETTE -- Continued snowfall resulted in flooding advisories across the Upper Peninsula on Tuesday.

The National Weather Service in Negaunee Township reported that Tuesday's snowfall of 6.4 inmches broke the 1976 record of 2.3 inches.

NWS-Marquette meteorologist Joe Phillips said the area has been seeing higher liquid equivalent snowfall the last couple of days. He said weather reports have seen places with over 4 inches of liquid from snowfall.

"As the waters getting into these streams and rivers, it is going to add to the river levels over the next couple of days and likely result in some flooding here and there," Phillips said. "We are currently seeing some flooding already and have some advisories out right now along the Michigamme River, Paint River, Sturgeon River, Chocolay River and then in Gwinn at the East Branch Escanaba River."

Phillips said more advisories will be issued.

"We do have a very large area flood advisory or flood watch out for much of the western U.P. and much of the north-central portion of the U.P. as well," Phillips said.

This spring has already seen flooding. On April 21, Gov. Whitmer expanded the state of emergency to Alger, Baraga, Dickinson, Iron, Marquette and Ontonagon counties; Houghton and Gogebic counties were previously declared states of emergency.

Phillips said while having a snowstorm itself is not unusual, having this much snow and liquid in the snow is unusual.

"This is definitely a historic snowstorm that we are dealing with right now," Phillips said. "And for it to be this late in the season, coupled with the wind off Lake Superior and the wind that is around the region, that is also making it a bigger deal."

Additionally, Phillips said usually when the area gets snowstorms in May, snow would still be on the ground.

"Since we did not have that, we already (have) seen those high rivers rises associated with that warm-up a few weeks ago," Phillips said. "I would say that this event making the rivers and potential flooding situation worse makes it more of an impactful event."

As the snowfall and flooding continues, efforts are being made by the Marquette County Road Commission to make sure that the roads are cleared.

Director of the Marquette County Road Commission Pete Deux said hundreds of trees that have fallen down.

"It has been all hands on deck," Deux said. "Our mechanics have been out with plows helping the road crew and we have had our engineers helping clear the trees as well."

Deux said that it is going to take a couple of days to get all the roads cleared and restored.

"Our concern is going to be around the melting of the accumulation," Deux said. "The snow is so wet and heavy, depending on the rate of the melt, we are concerned about additional melting."

Additional information on advisories and weather-related conditions can be found at weather.gov/mqt.

Dreyma Beronja can be reached at 906-228-2500 ext. 248. Their email address is dberonj@miningjournal.net.