A line of thunderstorms moved through the region late Friday night and early Saturday morning. The storms formed along and north of a warm front that was draped from west to east across the region. Very warm and moist air south of this front fueled these thunderstorms and promoted heavy rainfall across much of Northern Lower Michigan. While widespread flooding did not occur, localized flood damage was reported in the Rose City area in Ogemaw County.
Figure 1. Radar Loop from midnight-4am EDT Saturday June 12.
The WSR-88D radar from Gaylord estimated rainfall totals of 2 to 3 inches across the region. Local reports of between 4 and 6 inches of rainfall in the Rose City area were also received. In most locations this rain fell over the course of only 90 minutes.
Figure 2. Storm total precipitation estimate from the Gaylord NWS WSR-88D radar. Lower image shows a zoom in of Ogemaw County, including the Rose City area where flood damage occurred. Areas in blue show radar estimates of over 2 inches with orange areas indicating 3 or more inches of radar-estimated rainfall.
National Weather Service meteorologists traveled to the Rose City area on Monday to examine and document the flood damage. One bridge washout occurred with additional damage at the town park. This event highlights that flash floods do occur over Northern Lower Michigan and can have significant impacts over local areas.
Figure 3. Flood damage photos from the Rose City area.