IONIA, Mich. — National Weather Service river monitoring systems show that water levels are rising rapidly Wednesday morning.
The Ionia observation point had already reached 13.7 feet as of 6:30 A.M. The ‘action stage’ is 13.5, indicating the level at which minor flooding begins to take place along the river, especially near the Ionia County Fairgrounds.
It should also be noted that the rise in the river level over the past several hours has been much quicker than what the weather service had originally forecast. This is a developing situation that will require close monitoring throughout the day Wednesday.
Another location rising rapidly is the Muskegon River in Mecosta County. An observer there reported that water was backing up and that ice was still lingering on the river, causing the level to creep about a foot above the river bank as of early Wednesday morning.
Check out the latest forecast on the Weather page, and go to the National Weather Service hydrology page for updated river forecasts.
