Devastating Michigan Floods. North Carolina Is Next

One of the failed dams causing serious flooding in Michigan
yesterday and today. 

A big flood disaster has been unfolding in Michigan the past couple of days.

Torrential rains have hit the state since Saturday, and as the rains tapered off, the situation actually worsened.

The Associated Press reports that two dams on the Tittabawassee River in Midland County failed, and a flood crest was heading toward the city of Midland, population of about 41,000.

About 10,000 people have been evacuated.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned that downtown Midland could become submerged under nine feet of water. Midland is about 140 miles north of Detroit.

Another concern is that a Dow Chemical plant is in the path of the flood waters. So it's not good. Video is at the bottom of this post.

Some parts of Michigan received up to seven inches of rain over the past few days, causing flooding across much of the state. The heavy rain is also sure to cause some of the Great Lakes to rise further, exacerbating flooding, as the lakes are already at near record high levels.

One of the breached dams in Michigan, the Edenville Dam, was built in 1924. As of 2018, the state of Michign rated it as in unsatisfactory condition, according to clickondetroit.com.

Last November, an Associated Press investigation revealed that at least 1,680 dams in the United States are unstable enough to pose a risk to people downstream.

The actual number of such dams is higher than 1,680 because some states refused to release data to reporters, and a few states don't rate dams at all due to a lack of funding.

Now, as parts of Michigan floods, attention is turning to a huge risk of flooding today in North Carolina.

NOAA's Weather Prediction Center put western North Carolina in a relatively rare high risk zone for excessive rainfall today.

Around four inches of rain fell in that region yesterday, and another four inches or so is expected today.

Flooding, landslides and debris flows are all an almost certainty today in the mountainous region in the state.

The Weather Channel reported earlier this year that 41 percent of all U.S. flood deaths covered in one research project were on high risk excessive rain days, which are posted about 15 times per year.

Here's a quick video of Midland, Michigan from early this morning:



The scene around one of the failed dams on Tuesday:

Entertaining Weather Videos On A Slow Weather Day

Clear skies in the Northeast Friday allowed a great view of where snow
was on the ground, where it wasn't, what was frozen, what not.
Click on the image to make it bigger and easier to see details.

Things have temporarily gotten slow in the weather department, but don't worry, things will be pretty active around here by the middle and end of the week.

While we have some quiet weather moments, some goofy weather videos to share. And a photo.

The photo on the right is a satellite shot taken amid unusually clear skies in the eastern United States on Friday.  Click on it to make it bigger and easier to see the details of the current state of the winter.

The snow cover in New England ends just over the Massachusetts border from Vermont and New Hampshire. The Great Lakes are remarkably ice-free for late February. Even the Finger Lakes in New York aren't frozen.

You can also see that a large section of Lake Champlain is also free of ice. It almost certainly will not completely freeze over this year.  We have a few warm days coming. Even if it turns cold in March, the increasing sun angle would help erode new ice that forms at night.

Down in eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, you can also see an area of snow on the ground from a small storm the day before.  By the end of the day yesterday, that snow in the Southeast was mostly gone.

The clouds off the New England and Mid-Atlantic coasts are caused by cold air blowing over the relatively warm waters of the Atlantic.  There were even a few ocean-effect snow flurries from these clouds Friday morning on Cape Cod.

Now some videos:

This one has been billed as a "carbon neutral way to prevent ice dams:"



Next up, stupidity of the day.  We see this all the time. People drive right into floodwaters, not knowing how deep it is, not caring how dangerous it is.  A lot of it is stupidity.

There's still a lot of flooding going in in England due to two immense storms over the past couple weeks.  Here, we see rescuers in elaborate safety gear with boats heading out to retrieve residents from obviously deep floodwater in one neighborhood.

You and I wouldn't drive down that flooded street, right? The turbulent water and the rescue crews would seem like dead giveaways not to proceed.  Not everybody thinks like that. Watch the rescuers shake their heads in disbelief:



In Michigan, volcanoes have been erupting last week.  Don't worry, no lava in Detroit, no pyroclastic flows in Ann Arbor. Instead, ice has piled up on the windy shores of Lake Michigan.  More waves pounding in get under the ice and water pressure creates these "ice volcanoes."  They're pretty cool:



Also, in Michigan, another icy phenomenon.  A curving current in a small river created a rotating ice disk, much like that larger, more famous one that formed in Maine last year.  Here's the mesmerizing Michigan ice disk:

"Ghost Apples" Were A Cool, Amazing Legacy Of Michigan Ice Storm

A "ghost apple" in Michigan. Freezing rain formed around rotten
apples on a tree. The branch shook, the apple fell but left its
icy coating behind. Photo by Andrew Sietsema.

Bouts of ice and freezing rain have been creating havoc off and on from Washington State to New England and beyond this month.

Count me among those who hate freezing rain. You can't drive in it, first of all. That is if you can hack your way through the ice to get inside your car.  

I'm tired of falling on ice, and since I'm getting older, I'm starting to increase my risk of getting hurt in these tumbles. Too much freezing rain brings down trees and power lines.

Yet, like anything else, there's a silver lining to silver thaws, as ice storms are often called. Sun glinting on ice covered trees is gorgeous, for instance. I suppose you can turn your driveway into a nice ice skating rink after freezing rain.  I'm grasping at straws here.

However, one very cool thing happened in Michigan after an ice storm earlier this month. This time of year, people who operate apple orchards begin pruning trees. Late winter is the time to do that.

Another "ghost apple" in Michigan. Photo by Andrew Sietsema via
WOOD-TV

One orchard operator in Kent County, Michigan named Andrew Sietsema went out pruning his apple orchard after an ice storm.

When he pruned, rotten apples still on the trees and encased in ice fell off the trees because the trees were shaking as he lopped off branches.

Most of the time, the ice and the apples fell off together.   But not always.

Apples have a freezing point a little colder than plain water. Temperatures while Sietsema was working were just perfect.  As WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids reported, it was warm enough for the apples to thaw, but cold enough so that the ice from the freezing rain stayed put.

As the trees shook, some of the mushy thawed rotten apples fell off the trees, but the ice that encased the apples stayed behind, attached to the trees.  As you can see by the photos in the post, this created what Sietsema called "ghost apples."  

The ice left behind after the old apples fell formed perfect molds of the apples that were once there. They looked like beautiful glass Christmas ornaments.

TV Meteorologist Has Had ENOUGH Of Cold Weather Whining

WXMI Meteorlogist Garry Frank in Grand Rapids Michigan pictured here
mid-rant as he complained on air about everybody complaining
about this cold, snowy, miserable spring. We feel for ya! 

Like practically everyone else, I've been whining about this wintry spring, one in which warm temperatures, greenery and pleasant sunshine seem like  a cruel joke that will never arrive.

As I write this late Sunday afternoon, it's a lovely 33 degrees with a mix of sleet, rain and freezing rain outside my St. Albans, Vermont house.

And you wonder why people are so frustrated with this month's weather?  

It's not just us in Vermont. As you might have noticed, huge tracts of the nation have had a cold, snowy, miserable April so far.

That includes Michigan, where WXMI Fox 17 meteorologist Garry Frank  in Grand Rapids last week had his fill of people complaining about his un-springlike weather forecasts this month.

He had an on-air rant, which went totally viral of course, because his frustration is our frustration. Yes, we're whining about our lack of spring, and we're sick of whining about it and sick of  hearing others whine about it.

Frank was also sick and tired of hearing his fellow news reporters at WXMI whining about it.

So he went on this rant, which is probably worth watching over and over again.

 

Wind-Driven Wildfires, Other Windstorms Cause Surprising Destruction Colorado to New York.

A wildfire in Kansas this week. Photo by Clem Gerard

I'm impressed by the amount of damage a bout of strong winds that crossed the nation from Colorado to the East Coast in the past couple of days.

The worst of it was in the Plains, where, sadly, at least six people died in wind-driven wildfires this week. 

In Kansas, at least 650,000 acres burned, 70 structures were destroyed and there was one reported death in the state, said the Kansas City Star. 

Winds have calmed down in the Plains today, but it is still gusty and dry enough in northeastern Colorado and adjacent portions of Kansas and Nebraska for dangerous wildfirest to start and spread. 

The high winds that caused Tuesday's fires in the Plains moved to the eastern United States Wednesday.

Damage from high winds in western New York
Wednesday. Photo from WROC. 

In western New York Wednesday, winds gusted as high as 82 mph in Rochester, and over 70 mph in several other spots.  There were many reports of wind damage across western New York. 

The wind was strong enough to blow 15 to 20 freight cars off train tracks near Batavia, New York, and knocked over several tractor trailer trucks on highways in New York, Michigan and Ohio.

In Michigan, two people died in a Mini Cooper when a large tree blew down on top of it as the driver made his way down a highway, MLive reported. Nearly 850,000 homes and businesses in Michigan were without power this morning.

Winds gusted to 68 mph in Detroit and Saginaw Wednesday.

It's still windy in the eastern United States today, but it's not as bad as Wednesday. However, gusty winds and dry weather has created an elevated brush fire risk in the Middle Atlantic states.

A high wind warning remains in effect in parts of Massachusetts today as winds could go as high as 60 mph. Winds gusted to 66 mph at Blue Hill Observatory in eastern Massachusetts this morning.

A squall that brought wind gusts to 50 mph and a sharp drop
in temperature approaches St. Albans, Vermont Wednesday.

The windy weather heralded the start of a long and unwelcome cold snap that will last well into next week from North Plains to the Northeastern United States.

Early-blooming crops and plants are at risk in some locations.

Additionally, at least three quick-moving snowstorms will affect parts of the Ohio Valley and East Coast tomorrow through Tuesday.

Some of the snow could fall as far south as North Carolina, which is already in the midst of spring from a toasty late winter.

There's already a winter storm warning for Cape Cod and the islands Friday as the first of the storms clips southern New England.

Up here in Vermont, the worst of the three snowstorms are expected to largely miss us, at least according to current forecasts.

Of course, it doesn't take much to cause havoc. Crashes and slide-offs amid snow squalls this morning shut down all southbound lanes of Interstate 89 between Williston and Richmond, Vermont for a time this morning.

A gusty snow squall at my house in St. Albans, Vermont
this morning.Winter's back.

However, it is going to be brutally cold, with some snow showers from time to time.

Nightime lows this weekend will drop to levels a few degrees either side of zero, with high temperatures only getting into the teens --- if we're lucky.

Temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing in northern New England for at least a week.

Videos: Summer Storms Are Scary! Watch These For Proof

Aftermath of August 2 Traverse City, Michigan
storm. Video of it is below. Add caption

A few videos I came across this week show how scary heavy rain and severe storms can get in a big hurry.

We go to Yemen, Italy and Michigan to show what a summer storm can do in just a few minutes.

The first one shows serious flooding in Yemen recently, and a young boy got caught in it.

As he was being swept away, the video will show what happened next. Spoiler: It's scary, but ends well.



Next, we go to Italy, for this flash flood that hit in the past week.  The images in the first half of the video are by far the most interesting:



Finally we go to Traverse City, Michigan on August 2, where an incredible storm caused widespread damage in the northern part of that state.

Here, the storm goes on and on, dismantling the trees in a forested neighborhood in Traverse City. It's a wonder the guy and his house weren't completely smushed. By the way, foul language alert in the video, but you'll understand why:

Snow Squalls And Ground Blizzards: More Dangerous Than Big Snowstorms?

Skies cleared shortly after a snow squall
contributed to a 150-car pileup in Michigan
today. One of the vehicles involved was a truck
carrying fireworks, which burned and
exploded. Photo via Twitter, @UTM16.  

It seems like its often not the big snowstorms that cause chaos on the roads. It's the so-called little events, which aren't necessarily so little.

Recently, localized snow squalls have made the news often by causing carnage on the highways. And ground blizzards, which usually involve little falling snow but a lot of blowing snow, are equally treacherous.

Today, we had a dramatic pileup in Michigan, when about 150 cars slammed into each other amid snow squalls along Interstate 94 not far from Kalamazoo. One of the trucks involved was carrying fireworks and burst into flames.

That led to some dramatic videos and photos of the fire and other carnage on that highway. At least one person has died and some 16 others are injured.

Elsewhere in Michigan, a major highway south of Ann Arbor was closed today because of a pileup amid snow squalls. 

Of course, last week, we had that big pileup on Interstate 93 in New Hampshire, which also involved a fire when a truck burst into flames in the middle of the mess.

Of course, this made me nervous when an intense line of snow squalls went through Vermont today. I was waiting for the sound of crashes in the near zero visibility along Interstate 89, which, when it's not snowing torrentially, you an see from my house as it is about a quarter mile away.

Luckily, I've heard no reports of major crashes in Vermont so far, but a squall related crash has been reported on Interstate 89 near Montpelier.

It seems most of these pileups occur not in major snowstorms but in localized snow squalls. I think the problem is in part psychological.

When a big storm is forecast or underway, there's a drumbeat of warnings and admonishments to slow down and take it easy. So people do. Plus, conditions usually don't change all that rapidly during a day long snowstorm. The snow keeps coming. The road stays slippery, people slow down.

Visibility was about 100 yards during a snow squall, as
seen in my St. Albans, Vermont yard today. Glad
I wasn't out on the roads at the time.  

In snow squalls, conditions change suddenly. Also, the warnings in the media aren't as dire.

Yes, you get winter weather advisories and special weather statements saying snow squalls are in the area, rapidly changing conditions, poor visibility and ice will make driving hazardous.

But these warnings seem more on the fly, and are not drummed into our heads for hours and hours.

Mostly because we often don't have hours and hours of warnings before meteorologists can figure out snow squalls are developing.

So, with the warnings that might seem to many people as not as dire as a winter storm, people zoom along on the highways, not really noticing the roads beneath their wheels have gotten very slippery.

Plus, some motorists might think "Ah, it's just a dusting of snow. Maybe an inch. It can't be that dangerous, like a big storm." Then they slam into the semi that has stopped in front of them because of crashes that are already developing.

I'm not sure how forecasters really can improve on making people more cognizant that snow squalls are at least as dangerous as big snowstorms, maybe more so. I guess we can issue warnings that are even more urgent sounding than the ones that go out now.

I would love to hear ideas on how to accomplish that.

Another hazard, common to the Midwest and Great Plains, are ground blizzards.

Yesterday, widespread ground blizzards hit the Northern Plains, especially in the Dakotas, western Minnesota and parts of Iowa.  

Groun blizzard along Interstate 29 in Tea, South Dakota
yesterday. Photo via Twitter, South Dakota DOT
and Shawn Cable of KSFY.  

I don't have any reports of major crashes, but these ground blizzards are deadly, too.

The sky might be blue above, but the dense clouds of blowing snow can reduce visibility on highways to near zero.

Plus you often get conditions like you got yesterday in the Dakotas:

Very cold temperatures, and winds gusting in the 50 to 60 mph range. That's very dangerous if you're caught out in the middle of nowhere with no shelter after running your car into a ditch.

Below is a time lapse video of a guy's trip home from work in Minnesota yesterday. Notice in towns, it's not too bad, because the buildings and trees block some of the wind. But get out out into the open country, and it's a different matter entirely.

Watch:

.

Saturday Evening Flood Update: Vermont, New York, Michigan Under The Gun

You'd never know it if you were outside in northern Vermont today, but a cold front settled into the region.

Spring flooding gets close to a house near
Enosburg, Vermont in April, 2011.  

It stayed gorgeous, with sunshine and temperatures near 60. All the front did was subtlely shift the wind from the south to the west, and slowed the pace of rising temperatures a little bit.

That front is stalling, and people in northern New York and northern New England are actually going to really start noticing that wimpy front that arrived on the scene Saturday afternoon.

The front will go from wimpy to at least semi-wild. Showers and springtime's first thunderstorms will ride west to east along the front Sunday as the front itself slowly works its way back north toward Quebec.

This can turn into a dicey situation, believe it or not. In the spring, these slow fronts, separating the first surge of summery air to the south and seasonably chilly air to the north can squeeze out a lot of rain.

The most extreme example I can remember of this kind of west to east front in the Northeast was in late April, 2011. A huge tornado outbreak was brewing over the southern United States, and it was hot and humid down there. To the north of the front, it was cool and damp.

Along this front, wave after wave of strong thunderstorms passed over Vermont, armed with heavy downpours, vivid lightning and torrential bursts of hail.  (You can see a video of the one of the thunderstorms from this outbreak, on April 26, 2011 as it pelted my deck in St. Albans, Vermont with TONS of hail)

This combined with warm temperatures and a lot of snowmelt, caused some very damaging floods in northern Vermont, especially along the Lamoille River.

I don't expect anything that extreme Sunday, but I still wonder if the front will inspire showers and storms that will dump more than the quarter to two thirds of an inch of rain that is forecast on Sunday.

All this could start to trigger flooding across the Adirondacks, northern Vermont and northern New Hampshire by Sunday afternoon.   Areas more to the south will be away from the front, so it won't rain as much and flooding won't be quite as big a worry. (Still, watch for lowland flooding as early as Sunday along the Otter Creek in Rutland County.)

As of late Saturday afternoon, some pretty heavy downpours have developed in Michigan, where there are flood watches. These are some of the storms that are expected to hit northern New York and northern New England Sunday.

By Monday, the front will have lifted into Quebec and near record temperatures will come in. Towns like Burlington and Rutland, Vermont and Glens Falls and Albany, N.Y. could reach 80 degrees. There probably will be little if any rain on Monday, but such warm temperatures will really melt snow of the mountain sides fast, keeping river levels high.

Finally, on Tuesday, we're still expecting that slow moving cold front to come through New England. If the rain and thunderstorms with that front are as heavy as some forecasts indicate, there could be some substantial flooding.

It probably wouldn't be anything on the level of Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, but the water could get high enough  Tuesday to cause some damage.

As they keep saying, pay attention to future forecasts and possible warnings.

I'll offer an update first thing Sunday morning.