GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The National Weather Service is once again warning about lakeshore erosion and flooding.
Gale force winds are expected to start Sunday afternoon and go into the night. Waves on Lake Michigan will peak at 10 feet, NWS says, and piers will be topped by water.
Because of the strong winds and waves, beach erosion and flooding are likely. The hardest hit areas will be from Saugatuck to north of Whitehall.
This message is a familiar one.
The lakeshore saw near-record high water levels in the summer, and those levels have not yet significantly dropped. Throughout the fall, several strong storms battered the lakeshore again and again, eroding sand bluffs.
An Oct. 16 storm swept away up to 20 feet of dunes in some areas.
Lakeshore homeowners have been scrambling to protect their property before it's too late. But in some cases, they weren't able to stop the imminent threat of erosion. One homeowner in Ottawa County opted to demolish his lakeshore cottage instead of letting the eroding dune crumble beneath the foundation. And in Muskegon County, a family cottage fell off a bluff this week.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jan. 3 report shows the water level measured on Lake Michigan is 1-2 inches lower than it was a month ago, but it remains 16 inches higher than this time last year.
More erosion coverage from 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
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