'Meteotsunami'? Parts of southern St. Clair County Flooded by one

A new word enters my vocabulary...

"Parts of southern St. Clair County were still underwater Monday after an air pressure phenomenon Sunday pushed already high water levels higher.

"Monday morning, pumps marked by orange construction barrels had been set up along flooded roads like Anchor Bay Drive and Colony Drive in Clay Township. Anchor Bay Drive had mostly been cleared by 8 a.m. but much of Colony Drive was still underwater.

"The flooding was caused by a meteotsunami... a phenomenon where air pressure disturbances can generate quick-moving waves, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."

Dozens around the lakes each year but probably more noticable with the high water levels.

Water is scheduled to drop 3-inches by 8/10 [[Army Corp).

One of my father-in-law's favorite stories is how they would drive out to Algonac on 29 and, in the 1960s, the water was so high you could only see the middle of the road. The tires on one side of your car would be under a few inches of water, and you had to line up with the telephone poles to stay on the road.

Corps of Engineers publishes graphs of the lake levels over the past 120 or so years. The rises and falls are difficult to explain and can happen suddenly from year to year. Sort of fun in a low year watching guys accustomed to high water in the flats come tearing across water out of the channel and suddenly slow down to a crawl as their props are digging mud big time.