Spring snowmelt caused flooding of the Sturgeon River near Chassell from the 20th through the 26th. Flooding of the Sturgeon River also occurred near Alston from the 22nd through the 25th.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS MQT wrote it up.
Spring snowmelt caused flooding of the Sturgeon River near Chassell from the 20th through the 26th. Flooding of the Sturgeon River also occurred near Alston from the 22nd through the 25th.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Marquette, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 20, 2:45 PM EST, 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 345 PM EDT SUN APR 20 2008 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT AND MONDAY)... TRANQUIL WEATHER WILL MARK THIS PERIOD...WITH THE PRIMARY CONCERN BEING ONGOING HIGH WATER LEVEL ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN...AND ANOTHER ROUND OF FOG OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. A WARM DAY TODAY...AFTER THE FOG DISSIPATED...HAS RESULTED IN MORE SNOW MELTING AWAY. NORMAL HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR ARE GENERALLY RIGHT AROUND THE 50 DEGREE MARK AT MQT/NEGAUNEE. AFTER BEING NEARLY 10 DEGREES BELOW CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL VALUES YESTERDAY...WE ARE ALREADY ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS SOUTHERN UPPER MICHIGAN BY 18Z. UNLIKE THE PAST 2 NIGHTS...FOG SHOULD BE LESS WIDESPREAD. THIS WILL BE ESPECIALLY TRUE ACROSS THE WSW...AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT INCREASES OUT AHEAD OF THE NEXT LOW THAT SHOULD BE OVER ND/SD BORDER WITH MN. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN IN CONTROL. WILL LEAVE AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES AS IS FOR MONDAY. WITH SE FLOW OFF OF LAKE MICHIGAN...WILL NOT GO AS WARM AS LATEST MET/NAM GUIDANCE. OTHERWISE...KEPT THE MENTION OF PRECIPITATION OFF OUR SOIL THROUGH THE DAYTIME HOURS MONDAY. HOWEVER...WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF FAR W LAKE SUPERIOR RECEIVES PRECIPITATION PRIOR TO 00Z AS INDICATED BY THE GFS AND REGIONAL WRF. SIGNIFICANT 500MB PACIFIC NORTHWEST TROUGH IS BEGINNING ITS EASTWARD TREK....WITH THE SURFACE LOW ACROSS THE UPPER MISSOURI VALLEY AND NORTHERN ROCKIES BEING PUSHED EASTWARD TO SASKATCHEWAN...THROUGH MN...AND DOWN THROUGH TX BY MONDAY AFTERNOON. WE WILL LIKELY START SEEING SOME MID CLOUDS FROM THIS SYSTEM MONDAY AFTERNOON...ALONG WITH STRENGTHENING SSE FLOW. && .LONG TERM (MON NGT THRU SUN)... MON NGT WL START ON THE DRY SIDE ACRS THE LAND FA WITH FAIRLY WARM AND DRY MID LVLS ASSOCIATED WITH UPR RDGING DOWNSTREAM OF DEEP WRN TROF. NAM IS GENERALLY A BIT FASTER AND WEAKER THAN GFS WITH STRENGTH/PROGRESSION OF H85 LLJ AXIS (F48 GFS HAS 40KT S H85 WIND AIMED TOWARD IWD AT 12Z TUE...WHILE NAM SHOWS 30KT)/DEEPER MSTR... BUT TENDED TO SIDE MORE WITH THE SLOWER/STRONGER GFS GIVEN HI AMPLITUDE UPR PATTERN. INTRODUCED CHC POPS OVER THE W LATE WITH ARRIVAL OF H85 LLJ/AXIS OF HIER PWAT ARND 1.15 INCH IN ADVANCE OF SHRTWV LIFTING NNEWD THRU MN. FAIRLY SHARP UPR DVGC IN RRQ OF 120KT H3 JET MAX NEAR LK WINNIPEG WL ENHANCE SHRA COVG OVER WRN LK SUP AS SHOWN BY BOTH MODELS AND WARRANTS INCLUSION OF TS AS FCST. STRENGTHENING LLJ AND MSTR RETURN WL LIMIT DIURNAL TEMP FALL... ESPECIALLY OVER THE W AND NCNTRL NR THE LK SUP SHORE. GFS/NAM MODEL FCSTS/MOS HINT LO CLD MAY MOVE ONSHORE OFF LK MI INTO THE ERN ZNS WITH MSTR RETURN UNDER INVRN. SHRTWV/SFC LO WL LIFT NEWD INTO NW ONTARIO ON TUE...WITH ATTENDANT COLD FNT SWEEPING EWD INTO THE FA AND ACCELERATING WITH TIME WITH STRENGTHENING WLY FLOW ALF NORMAL TO THE KATAFNT. STEEP H7-5 LAPSE RATES TO 7.5C/KM/ENHANCED UPR DVGC AND DEEP LYR H85-3 QVECTOR CNVGC IN RRQ OF CNDN JET AND LEFT EXIT OF INCOMING JET MOVING THRU THE NRN PLAINS/NARROW RIBBON OF MSTR RETURN WARRANTS MENTION OF TS AHEAD OF THE FNT. FORTUNATELY... THE RESIDENCE TIME OF THE HEAVIER SHRA SEEMS LIMITED BY THE ACCELERATING NATURE OF THE FNT/NARROW RIBBON OF MSTR RETURN...SO PCPN AT ANY ONE SPOT SHOULD NOT BE EXCESSIVE EVEN THOUGH THE RA MAY FALL HARD FOR A TIME UNDER THE CNVCTN. LINGERING SHRA OVER THE ERN ZNS WL END TUE EVNG FOLLOWING PASSAGE OF COLD FNT AND ARRIVAL OF DRIER AIR ON THE HEELS OF GUSTY WNW WINDS. LATER TUE NGT SHOULD TURN RELATIVELY TRANQUIL WITH THE APRCH OF HI PRES RDG/RISING HGTS/DNVA IN THE WAKE OF SHRTWV TROFFING LIFTING INTO CAN. EXPECT THE MERCURY TO FALL NEAR 32 OVER THE INTERIOR W BY DAWN ON WED. WED LOOKS TO BE A VERY NICE DAY WITH SFC HI PRES RDG/ VERY DRY LLVL AIR IN PLACE UNDER BLDG UPR RDG. DEEP MIXING TO H7-75 ON GFS FCST SDNGS YIELDS HI TEMPS ARND 60 AWAY FM THE MODERATING INFLUENCE OF THE LKS...WHICH SHOULD BE RELATIVELY MINIMAL WITH LLVL WSW FLOW. DWPTS WL MIX OUT INTO THE LOWER 20S DURING THE AFTN AS WELL...SO RH WL BE ON THE LO SIDE. THERE MAY BE SOME MID CLD WED NGT INTO THU ESPECIALLY OVER THE NW WITH RETURN SW FLOW ARND SFC HI PRES SINKING INTO THE LWR LKS. GFS EVEN GENERATES SOME PCPN OVER WRN LK SUP...BUT AIRMASS LOOKS PROHIBITIVELY DRY. IN THE LONGER RANGE PD...UPR TROFFING NOW OVER THE PAC NW/WRN CAN IS FCST TO GRDLY SPREAD E INTO CNTRL CAN BY NEXT WEEKEND. SO...THE RELATIVELY MILD WX AT MID WEEK WL LIKELY GIVE WAY TO COOLER CONDITIONS NEXT WEEKEND. THE BEST CHC FOR ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WL BE THU NGT AND FRI AS LO PRES WAVE ASSOCIATED WITH SHRTWV DRAGGING TROF TO THE E LIFTS TO THE NW OF THE FA. OPTED TO INCLUDE MENTION OF TS CONSIDERING THE TRACK OF THE SFC LO TO THE NW AND INTERACTION OF NEGATIVELY TILTED SHRTWV WITH RIBBON OF HIER PWAT/LOWER INSTABILITY AHEAD OF THE ATTENDANT COLD FROPA. ADDITIONAL CONVECTIVE RAINFALL AND ABV NORMAL TEMPS THAT WL MELT ANY LINGERING SN WOULD PERSIST HI RIVER LEVELS. MUCH COOLER WX WL FOLLOW THIS COLD FROPA...AND 12Z GFS IS QUITE BULLISH AT LOWERING HGTS THIS COMING WEEKEND. SINCE THIS RUN IS A SGNFT CHG FM EARLIER FCSTS...WL TEND TO IGNORE THE DEEP CLOSED LO FCST OVER THE LKS. BUT ARRIVAL OF COLDER AIR ALF WARRANTS THE MENTION OF LO CHC POPS ON SAT. ANOTHER CHC OF SHRA ARRIVES ON SUN ASSOCIATED WITH LO PRES MOVING ACRS THE NRN PLAINS. BUT CONFIDENCE REGARDING THIS LO PRES IS LO CONSIDERING SHARP DIFFERENCES AMONG GUIDANCE ON ITS EVOLUTION/TRACK. && .HYDROLOGY... AT THE CHOCOLAY RIVER THE LATEST READINGS SHOW A SLIGHT DECREASE IN STAGE SINCE YESTERDAY EVENING. LATEST RFC FORECAST HAS DELAYED THE CREST...WHICH IS 10 FEET...UNTIL WEDNESDAY MORNING. THIS CHANGE IS A DIFFERENCE OF ABOUT 12 HOURS FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST. THE STAFF GAUGE NEAR CHASSELL ON THE STURGEON RIVER IS NOW ABOVE 10.5 FEET PER READINGS FROM THE HOUGHTON COUNTY EM. FLOOD WARNING WILL CONTINUE THERE LIKELY THROUGH THE WEEK. LOOKING AT A COUPLE OTHER SITES...BOTH THE STURGEON RIVER NEAR ALSTON AND THE MICHIGAMME RIVER NEAR WITCH LAKE LOOK AS IF THEY WILL REACH FLOOD STAGE LATER THIS WEEK. THOUGH THE TRAP ROCK RIVER NEAR LAKE LINDEN HAS BEEN FALLING SINCE YESTERDAY EVENING...I AM NOT CONFIDENT THAT WE ARE IN THE CLEAR WITH THIS RIVER YET. WITH SNOW STILL ON THE GROUND...EXPECT THIS RIVER TO RISE THROUGH TOMORROW AS TEMPERATURES CLIMB WELL ABOVE NORMAL AND MELT ANY REMNANT SNOW COVER. WILL ALSO NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON MIDDLE BRANCH OF ESCANABA NEAR HUMBOLDT FOR THE SAME REASONS AS THE TRAP ROCK. FOR THOSE GAUGES THAT DO END UP RISING ABOVE FLOOD STAGE THIS WEEK ONLY EXPECT MINOR FLOODING TO OCCUR. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR QPF AMOUNTS ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING WITH EXPECTED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. WITH THE FLASHY NATURE OF THE TRAP ROCK RIVER BASIN EVEN HALF AND INCH OF RAINFALL IN A SHORT TIME COULD CAUSE A RAPID RISE IN RIVER STAGE. FOR CONTINUED UPDATES ON THE RIVERS... PLEASE SEE THE LATEST HYDROLOGIC STATEMENTS AND ANY FLOOD WATCHES OR WARNINGS THAT MAY BE ISSUED. IN ADDITION...FOR THE LATEST FORECAST PLEASE VISIT THE AHPS PAGE AND CLICK ON A RIVER SITE...THIS CAN BE FOUND UNDER THE RIVERS AND LAKES LINK AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/UP && .AVIATION (FOR THE 18Z TAF ISSUANCE)... BEST CHANCE FOR SIGNIFICANT /LONGER TERM/ CLEARING IS ALSO MARKED WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR FOG DEVELOPMENT...OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. FOG IS NOT ANTICIPATED TO LAST NEARLY AS LONG AS THE PAST 2 DAYS. STILL...SCT-BKN CONDITIONS LOOK TO PERSIST AT CMX...BREAKING OUT MORE AT SAW. BY LATE MONDAY MORNING EXPECT WINDS ESE TO INCREASE SE...BUT STILL LESS THAN 18KT THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .MARINE (FOR THE 4 PM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE)... WINDS AT TO OR BELOW 20KT WILL INCREASED TO NEAR 30KT OUT AHEAD OF LOW PRESSURE THAT IS POISED TO SLIDE ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN TAKE OVER ON WEDNESDAY...WITH WINDS EXPECTED TO REMAIN AT OR BELOW 20KT. AHEAD OF ANOTHER LOW THURSDAY...ESE WINDS WILL INCREASE AND REACH THE NEAR 30KT MARK...WITH THE LOW ITSELF CROSSING THE AREA FRIDAY. MAY NEED TO ADD THE MENTION OF GALES TO 35KT LATE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY WITH NEXT ISSUANCES. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...KF LONG TERM...KC HYDROLOGY...DJP AVIATION...KF MARINE...KF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 444 AM EDT SUN APR 20 2008 MIZ001>007-009>014-084-085-211200- KEWEENAW-ONTONAGON-NORTHERN HOUGHTON-BARAGA-MARQUETTE-ALGER-LUCE- GOGEBIC-IRON-DICKINSON-MENOMINEE-DELTA-SOUTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- SOUTHERN HOUGHTON-NORTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- 444 AM EDT SUN APR 20 2008 /344 AM CDT SUN APR 20 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A SLOW TO STEADY SNOW MELT WILL CONTINUE TO INFLUENCE ALREADY HIGH RUNNING RIVERS AND STREAMS. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST HYDROLOGIC STATEMENTS...FLOOD WARNINGS...OR OTHER STATEMENTS FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY ALONG WITH ANY LEFT OVER SNOW CONTINUING TO MELT...THERE ARE INDICATIONS OF A MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN EVENT LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING...ALONG WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS. RUNOFF FROM THE SNOW MELT AND ANY RAINFALL MAY CAUSE MINOR RIVER FLOODING AND PONDING OF WATER IN LOW LYING AREAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. LSZ162-240>251-263>267-211200- LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF A LINE FROM SAXON HARBOR WI TO GRAND PORTAGE MN BEYOND 5NM-SAXON HARBOR WI TO BLACK RIVER MI- BLACK RIVER TO ONTONAGON MI- ONTONAGON TO UPPER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL MI- UPPER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL TO EAGLE RIVER MI- EAGLE RIVER TO MANITOU ISLAND MI- MANITOU ISLAND TO POINT ISABELLE MI- POINT ISABELLE TO LOWER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL MI- LOWER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL TO HURON ISLANDS MI INCLUDING KEWEENAW AND HURON BAYS-HURON ISLANDS TO MARQUETTE MI- MARQUETTE TO MUNISING MI-MUNISING TO GRAND MARAIS MI- GRAND MARAIS TO WHITEFISH POINT MI- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM SAXON HARBOR WI TO UPPER ENTRANCE TO PORTAGE CANAL MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER INCLUDING ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM UPPER ENTRANCE TO PORTAGE CANAL TO MANITOU ISLAND MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER- LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF LINE FROM MANITOU ISLAND TO MARQUETTE MI BEYOND 5NM FROM SHORE- LAKE SUPERIOR EAST OF A LINE FROM MANITOU ISLAND TO MARQUETTE MI AND WEST OF A LINE FROM GRAND MARAIS MI TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER BEYOND 5NM FROM SHORE- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM GRAND MARAIS MI TO WHITEFISH POINT MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER- 444 AM EDT SUN APR 20 2008 /344 AM CDT SUN APR 20 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR...CENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR AND WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE WEST HALF OF LAKE SUPERIOR AND ACROSS ALL OF LAKE SUPERIOR TUESDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE EAST HALF OF LAKE SUPERIOR TUESDAY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. LMZ221-248-250-211200- GREEN BAY NORTH OF LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE-SEUL CHOIX POINT TO POINT DETOUR MI- 5NM EAST OF A LINE FROM FAIRPORT MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE- 444 AM EDT SUN APR 20 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN LAKE LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. MICHELS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Sturgeon River went above flood stage near Chassell on the 20th, and remained above flood stage into the afternoon of the 26th. Flooding was observed on Sturgeon River, Aho, and Rajala Roads during this time although no property damage was reported.
The Sturgeon River went above flood stage near Alston on the 22nd and remained above flood stage through April 25th. Portions of Usitalo, Halonen, and Tahtinen Roads flooded while the Alston gauge was above flood stage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, April 2008
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: 97421, 97467.