

000 

WGUS73 KMQT 152118

FFSMQT

MIC103-160130-



FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI

518 PM EDT THU MAY 15 2003



...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 930 PM EDT FOR MARQUETTE 

COUNTY...ALONG THE DEAD RIVER FROM SILVER LAKE THROUGH MARQUETTE TO 

LAKE SUPERIOR...



THIS WARNING WILL LIKELY BE REISSUED AND EXTENDED INTO FRIDAY 

MORNING.



AT 500 PM EDT...FLOODING CONTINUED ALONG PORTIONS OF THE DEAD    

RIVER IN MARQUETTE COUNTY. SOME WATER CONTINUES TO FLOW OUT OF 

SILVER LAKE INTO THE DEAD RIVER...BUT POWER COMPANY OFFICIALS 

INDICATED THAT THE AMOUNT OF NEW WATER BEING RELEASED WAS LOW. 

THE MARQUETTE COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES CONTINUE TO REPORT THAT A 

MANDATORY EVACUATION IS IN PLACE FOR THE CITY OF MARQUETTE NORTH OF 

WRIGHT STREET...FROM THE WEST CITY LIMITS TO LAKE SUPERIOR. THIS 

EVACUATION ORDER MAY REMAIN IN PLACE INTO FRIDAY MORNING.



EXCESSIVE WATER WILL CONTINUE TO FLOW THROUGH THE HOIST DAM THIS 

EVENING. THE HOIST DAM IS LOCATED ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE DEAD 

RIVER STORAGE BASIN. THE DAM IS STABLE...BUT A LARGE VOLUME OF WATER 

WILL CONTINUE TO PASS THROUGH IT THIS EVENING. THIS WATER IS CAUSING 

FLOODING OF AREAS NEAR THE RIVER DOWNSTREAM INTO THE CITY OF 

MARQUETTE NORTH OF WRIGHT STREET. AS OF 500 PM EDT...FLOODING WAS 

REPORTED IN THE CITY OF MARQUETTE ALONG THE BANKS OF THE DEAD 

RIVER...AND PORTIONS OF THE RIVER WERE VERY TURBULENT AND FLOWING AT 

AN EXTREME RATE. DO NOT VENTURE NEAR THE RIVER DEBRIS IN THE RIVER 

CHANNEL WAS RESULTING IN FLUCTUATIONS IN THE RIVER LEVEL...WHICH 

POSES AN ADDED DANGER SINCE WATER LEVELS MAY FALL AND QUICKLY RISE 

AGAIN WITHIN AS LITTLE AS 15 MINUTES.



REPORTS INDICATE THAT THE BRIDGE WHICH CROSSES THE DEAD RIVER ON 

LAKE SHORE BOULEVARD HAS BEEN WASHED OUT. REPORTS ALSO INDICATE THAT 

THE OLD COUNTY ROAD 550 BRIDGE WAS WASHED OUT...BUT THE NEW BRIDGE 

IS INTACT...ALTHOUGH IT IS CLOSED TO TRAFFIC. AT 400 PM EDT...WATER 

WAS REPORTED OVER MUCH OF THE LAND FROM THE DEAD RIVER SOUTH TO NEAR 

HAWLEY STREET. HIGH WATER WAS ALSO REPORTED ON SOME ROADS NEAR THE 

RIVER NORTH OF WRIGHT STREET. OPERATIONS AT THE HYDROELECTRIC 

FACILITIES ALONG THE DEAD RIVER IN THE CITY OF MARQUETTE WERE 

SUSPENDED DUE TO FLOODING. SPECIFICALLY...THE HYDROELECTRIC FACILITY 

LOCATED NEAR TOURIST PARK IN MARQUETTE WAS EXPERIENCING FLOODING AND 

SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS REPORTED. THE WISCONSIN ENERGIES POWER 

PLANT LOCATED NORTH OF THE DEAD RIVER HAS PARTIALLY SUSPENDED 

OPERATIONS...AND WAS EXPERIENCING SOME FLOODING AT THEIR LOCATION.



TREES WERE REPORTED DOWN IN THE TOURIST PARK AREA...ALONG WITH 

SIGNIFICANT SOIL EROSION AT THE TOURIST PARK BEACH AND SURROUNDING 

AREA. DEBRIS IS FLOWING INTO LAKE SUPERIOR...CONSISTING MAINLY OF 

TREES AND BRANCHES. THERE WERE REPORTS OF SPORADIC POWER OUTAGES IN 

THE CITY OF MARQUETTE...AND POWER IS OUT IN COMMUNITIES ALONG COUNTY 

ROAD 550 NORTH OF THE DEAD RIVER INCLUDING BIG BAY. ELECTRICITY 

ALONG WITH EMERGENCY AND NORMAL PHONE SERVICE ARE OUT IN POWELL 

TOWNSHIP. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL POWER OUTAGES ACROSS 

PORTIONS OF WEST AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN DUE TO DOWNED POWER 

LINES AND SUSPENDED OPERATIONS AT POWER GENERATING FACILITIES.



NUMEROUS BRIDGES AND CULVERTS ARE WASHED OUT DOWNSTREAM OF SILVER 

LAKE...AND WATER LEVELS REMAIN HIGH IN THE DEAD RIVER STORAGE BASIN. 

THE FOLLOWING ROADS ARE CLOSED...COUNTY ROAD AAT KNOWN AS MULLIGAN 

ROAD...COUNTY ROAD AAO AT THE DEAD RIVER BRIDGE...FORESTVILLE 

ROAD...COUNTY ROAD HD...COUNTY ROAD 510 AT THE STEEL BRIDGE...WRIGHT 

STREET FROM COMMERCE TO ONTARIO STREET...AND ROADS NORTH OF WRIGHT 

STREET. LAKE SHORE BOULEVARD IS CLOSED FROM HAWLEY STREET 

NORTH...AND COUNTY ROAD 550 IS ALSO CLOSED. THE BOAT LAUNCH ON 

FORESTVILLE ROAD IS UNDER SEVERAL FEET OF WATER. PEOPLE LIVING 

ALONG THE DEAD RIVER BASIN BETWEEN SILVER LAKE AND FORESTVILLE ROAD 

HAVE BEEN EVACUATED.



THE EVACUATION AREA NORTH OF WRIGHT STREET IN THE CITY OF MARQUETTE 

INCLUDES 1742 RESIDENTS...AN AREA THAT ENCOMPASSES 485 ACRES... AND 

A MIX OF RESIDENTIAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTIES INCLUDING 806 

BUILDINGS.



FURTHER STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED BY 800 PM EDT OR SOONER.



IF ADDITIONAL EVACUATIONS BECOME NECESSARY...FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS 

PROVIDED BY YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY OFFICIALS. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE 

ACROSS FLOODED ROADWAYS. STAY TUNED TO LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE 

LATEST INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS DANGEROUS FLOODING SITUATION.



$$



TRH



WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/MQT/

