Michigan, 1997

Flooding in Michigan, March 14, 1997

March 14, 1997 · NWS DTX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

The same storm that brought heavy ice accumulations to southeast Michigan also brought flooding to many areas from Detroit south to the Ohio state-line. 5 inches across that area.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$50,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS DTX wrote it up.

The same storm that brought heavy ice accumulations to southeast Michigan also brought flooding to many areas from Detroit south to the Ohio state-line. Total precipitation amounts ranged from 1.5 to nearly 2.5 inches across that area. Some of the higher totals included 2.27 inches at Tecumseh, 2.24 inches at Dundee and 2.18 inches at Morenci. I-94 was flooded in southern Macomb county between 9 and 12 Mile roads during the morning of the 14th. The Lodge freeway was also flooded in southern Oakland county during that time. Lakeshore flooding along the west shore of Lake Erie was most severe at Estral Beach, where strong easterly winds associated with the storm pushed 2 feet of water onto the shore. In addition, there was some minor river flooding throughout far southeast lower Michigan (details next section).

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Oakland

When
March 14, 4:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where
Oakland forecast zone
Coordinates
42.660, -83.386 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Macomb

When
March 14, 4:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where
Macomb forecast zone
Coordinates
42.673, -82.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Wayne

When
March 14, 4:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where
Wayne forecast zone
Coordinates
42.285, -83.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Lenawee

When
March 14, 4:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where
Lenawee forecast zone
Coordinates
41.895, -84.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Monroe

When
March 14, 4:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where
Monroe forecast zone
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
41.921, -83.494 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Michigan in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, March 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5588844, 5588845, 5588846, 5588847, 5588848.