Flooding in Michigan, April 9 to 10, 1998

Perhaps the worst lakeshore flood on western Lake Erie in 25 years developed rapidly on the 9th. Low pressure intensified along the Indiana-Ohio border on the morning of the 9th, and moved to near Cleveland, Ohio by evening. Lake Erie water levels were already rather high due to the wet winter and early spring. Northeast gales to 45 knots (52 mph) caused that water to pile up in the shallow western basin of the lake. The Coast Guard station in Toledo, Ohio recorded a maximum water level of about 100 inches above chart datum. This was the highest level recorded since the all-time record of 110 inches, set exactly 25 years previous, on April 9th, 1973.On top of the extremely high lake level were waves as high as 13 feet, produced by the strong northeast gales. The high water level and wave action caused considerable damage along the Monroe County shoreline. Further compounding the problem was the heavy rain seen that day - as the fire department in the city of Monroe reported 2.03 inches of rain, while 1.79 inches fell in Dundee. With such exceptionally high lake levels, runoff from the heavy rain had nowhere to go. The flooding affected all of the lakeshore communities, including LaSalle Township, Morin Point, Estral Beach, and Luna Pier. Monroe Township got away with only a few problems, due to a dike system constructed after the 1973 flood. Over 150 properties in Monroe County were damaged, and 120 people were evacuated. Numerous breakwalls and dikes, some constructed of concrete or steel, were destroyed. Numerous streets became impassable, with water three feet deep in Estral Beach. Waves pounded against the roofs of some lakeshore homes. Longtime residents, comparing this flood with the 1973 record flood, noted that although the water level did not get quite as high this time, the floodwaters surged in off Lake Erie much faster. Boats had to be used to get some students home from school in the afternoon.Backwater flooding took place near the mouth of the River Raisin, where a street was flooded and closed in the city of Monroe.Water levels also became very high near the mouth of the Detroit River in southeast Wayne County. At Gibraltar, the water level was measured at 81 inches above chart datum. This produced substantial flooding along the Gibraltar shoreline, where water rose to the tops of fire hydrants. Serious flooding also took place on some of the smaller islands in the Detroit River, including Horse, Hamburg, and Elba Islands. Flooding was less widespread on the big island of Grosse Ile, where a couple of riverside roads were inundated.