Overview:
- Two EF1 tornadoes with wind speeds of 86-110 mph struck Ann Arbor and Lincoln Park early Wednesday morning, damaging trees and buildings.
- Metro Detroit received 1-3 inches of rain this week. Another quarter-inch to 1 inch is expected Thursday evening before conditions improve.
- Detroit expressways largely avoid major flooding except for a temporary closure on I-75 at Clay Street on Wednesday.
Heavy rains should taper off this evening and give Metro Detroiters a break from the localized flooding impacting the area this week.
Kyle Klein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS), told Planet Detroit another quarter-inch to 1 inch of rain will fall in Metro Detroit Thursday evening.
The area received between 1 and 3 inches of rainfall this week, and tornadoes struck Ann Arbor and Lincoln Park early Wednesday morning, he said.
A National Weather Service flood watch issued Thursday said most locations are expected to receive less than 1 inch of rain, adding that thunderstorms and heavy rain showers could produce localized accumulation of 2 or more inches of rainfall.
Klein said it’s unlikely 2 inches of rain will fall and lead to significant flooding in Metro Detroit Thursday night.
“If any thunderstorms move through … you could have brief areas where flooding occurs,” he said, giving the examples of ponding on roadways or creeks topping their banks.
Great Lakes Water Authority COO Navid Mehram said in a statement that the utility’s stormwater system is operating as designed.
“Our team continues to manage water levels to maintain capacity and readiness for additional wet weather,” Mehram said.
Details on Ann Arbor, Lincoln Park tornadoes
The weather service’s Klein confirmed that tornadoes hit Ann Arbor and Lincoln Park early Wednesday morning. Both were EF1 tornadoes, which he described as weak. The EF1 designation indicates a tornado with wind speeds of 86-110 mph.
The Ann Arbor tornado touched down at 1:44 a.m. Wednesday near Jackson Avenue and Interstate 94, crossing the freeway and Veterans Memorial Park. It uprooted and snapped trees and snapped stadium light poles. The greatest EF1 damage occurred from Jackson Avenue through Veterans Memorial Park and into nearby neighborhoods, the NWS said.
After the tornado lifted at 1:46 a.m. near W. William Street and 4th Street, straight line winds damaged roof panels at the University of Michigan’s Yost Ice Arena, according to the NWS event summary.
The Lincoln Park tornado touched down at 2:14 a.m. Wednesday near Wall and Ruth avenues, south of Outer Drive, the weather service said. It damaged roofs and shingles along Ruth and Olive avenues, snapped trees, and damaged some businesses’ windows, roofs, facades, and HVAC systems.
The tornado crossed Dix Highway, uprooting trees and snapping trunks near Outer Drive, before lifting at 2:16 a.m. near Outer Drive and Meginnity Street on the Melvindale city line.
Detroit expressways largely unaffected by flooding
Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) spokesperson Diane Cross said Detroit expressways escaped major flooding this week, with the exception of a period on Wednesday when Interstate 75 flooded in Detroit at Clay Street. This caused traffic to be rerouted to the Davison Freeway and I-94, she said,
MDOT did not experience any electrical issues at its pump stations, and the agency has been working to clear debris from thousands of catch basins to prevent ponding, Cross said.
When flooding does occur, it often hits low-lying freeways like I-94 in Detroit and the Southfield Freeway, she said, adding that MDOT is installing backup generators at its pump stations to ensure they continue to function during power outages.Michiganders can check for roadway closures and incidents on the MIDrive webpage.
FLOODING COVERAGE
Detroit urges flooding precautions with more rain incoming
Detroit asks residents to cut water use as city faces up to 1.5 inches of rain and possible flooding through Thursday night.
Green stormwater infrastructure in Detroit parks offers examples of flooding solutions
The Chandler Park Marshland “serves as an example of how we can do stormwater in the community,” says Alex Allen, president of the park conservancy.
Detroit launches $1 million sea wall repair program for flood-weary Jefferson Chalmers
City Councilmember Latisha Johnson advocated for the $1-million state grant to target sea wall repairs as a step toward moving the neighborhood out of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood hazard designation.
