Back-To-Back Wind Events May Cause Flooding

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The Essex Region Authority has issued a flood watch for the shoreline areas along Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, and the Detroit River, as well as lake/river tributaries.

Forecasts are predicting back-to-back wind events starting with wind out of the north/northeast on Tuesday May 7th followed by significant wind out of the northeast on May 8th.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers reports that both Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie have started the month of May with water levels above their respective record high monthly average water levels for May set in 1986.

Due to these high levels, there is increased concern related wind-generated lake-setup, damaging waves, and shoreline erosion.

Tuesday’s wind event out of the north/northeast may be similar to last Friday, May 3rd, which elevated Lake St. Clair water levels and generated significant wave action. With a similar forecast, there is again the possibility for elevated water levels on Lake St. Clair with the potential for flooding, shoreline erosion, and
damaging waves along the north shore of the region including Windsor, Tecumseh, and Lakeshore.

By Wednesday morning, forecasts are predicting for winds to shift out of the northeast, increasing in speeds throughout the day reaching sustained speeds above 30 km/hr and gusts above of 40 km/hr for an extended period of time. These winds are not expected to subside or shift until Thursday May 9th.

If this forecast remains accurate, there is a high possibility of flooding, shoreline erosion and damaging waves.

These types of wind events have the potential to significantly raise water levels in the western basin of Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, as well as elevate water levels in the Detroit River and major tributaries across the Region.