Washington Creek Rain Event Levels

Questions regarding Weather, Bugs, Northern Lights and other "natural" phenomena.

Moderator: drobarge

Post Reply
User avatar
head2north
Trailblazer
Posts: 173
Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2008 9:46 am
Isle Royale Visits: 9
Location: River Falls, Wisconsin

Washington Creek Rain Event Levels

Post by head2north »

The labeled "catastrophic" Rain event last evening lured me to check out the river levels in Northern Wisconsin. Some 1000% levels in
my playground. Looks like Isle Royale was partially hit with Washington Creek levels in Windigo being high.

Hope the shelters are still there.

http://waterwatch.usgs.gov/new/index.ph ... real&w=map
Attachments
IR - Washington Creek Flow July 12 2016.png
User avatar
jrwiesz
May actually live on IR
Posts: 353
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 3:42 am
Isle Royale Visits: 3
Location: Michigan

Re: Washington Creek Rain Event Levels

Post by jrwiesz »

From when you checked and when I looked, the creek is on the rise, slightly.

Notice that the pull-down for WC doesn't show a level for "Flood stage", whereas, most of the other pull-downs have that statistic.
"And standing on the the crest of the Greenstone Ridge, I suddenly had this desire to retreat north to where I just come, to stay in the backcountry, to spend another day in a place where the only deadline I had was to pitch the tent before dark."
Jim DuFresne
User avatar
Midwest Ed
IR Expert
Posts: 1355
Joined: Sat Jul 03, 2010 1:25 am
Isle Royale Visits: 8
Location: Quad Cities, IL
Has thanked: 42 times
Been thanked: 82 times

Re: Washington Creek Rain Event Levels

Post by Midwest Ed »

jrwiesz wrote:From when you checked and when I looked, the creek is on the rise, slightly.

Notice that the pull-down for WC doesn't show a level for "Flood stage", whereas, most of the other pull-downs have that statistic.
I would think it's impossible for a wilderness area to even have a flood stage defined. But of course I think Windigo is not included in the wilderness areas. I suspect there has never been an officially recorded flood at Windigo so even in the non-wilderness area new territory is being charted (so to speak). Then again, I doubt the Windigo area even extends into the Washigton creek wilderness "floodplain".

edited to quench my unbearable dispair looking at the word floodplane.
Last edited by Midwest Ed on Tue Jul 12, 2016 8:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
8 trips, 1975 x 2, 1976 x 2, 1978, 1985, 2000, 2013
johnhens
Forum Moderator
Posts: 1993
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2007 4:10 pm
Isle Royale Visits: 34
Location: Big Rock, IL
Has thanked: 56 times
Been thanked: 112 times

Re: Washington Creek Rain Event Levels

Post by johnhens »

Most of the shelters at Washington Creek are a good 4' above the noraml creek level. If the amount of water indicated (ie 97%) is a measure of the normal level, wouldn't that mean the water is twice as deep as "normal"?
It would be cool to see the level.
User avatar
jrwiesz
May actually live on IR
Posts: 353
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 3:42 am
Isle Royale Visits: 3
Location: Michigan

Re: Washington Creek Rain Event Levels

Post by jrwiesz »

Last time I looked, it has dropped off from 3.80 ft. to 3.79 ft.

I doubt that the area where the shelters are would have much noticeable difference; I would believe the measurement station is back where the creek/trail cross, just after coming off the Minong/Huginnin
Cove trails junction.
"And standing on the the crest of the Greenstone Ridge, I suddenly had this desire to retreat north to where I just come, to stay in the backcountry, to spend another day in a place where the only deadline I had was to pitch the tent before dark."
Jim DuFresne
treeplanter
May actually live on IR
Posts: 498
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 6:57 pm
Isle Royale Visits: 12
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 69 times
Contact:

Re: Washington Creek Rain Event Levels

Post by treeplanter »

johnhens wrote:Most of the shelters at Washington Creek are a good 4' above the noraml creek level. If the amount of water indicated (ie 97%) is a measure of the normal level, wouldn't that mean the water is twice as deep as "normal"?
It would be cool to see the level.
I’m not sure the number of the shelter, but the one nearest Washington Harbor (number one?) is no more than a foot above Washington Creek. We stayed there back in 2014.
johnhens
Forum Moderator
Posts: 1993
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2007 4:10 pm
Isle Royale Visits: 34
Location: Big Rock, IL
Has thanked: 56 times
Been thanked: 112 times

Re: Washington Creek Rain Event Levels

Post by johnhens »

treeplanter wrote:
johnhens wrote:Most of the shelters at Washington Creek are a good 4' above the noraml creek level. If the amount of water indicated (ie 97%) is a measure of the normal level, wouldn't that mean the water is twice as deep as "normal"?
It would be cool to see the level.
I’m not sure the number of the shelter, but the one nearest Washington Harbor (number one?) is no more than a foot above Washington Creek. We stayed there back in 2014.
I wonder if they had problems with that shelter.
jerry
IR Expert
Posts: 539
Joined: Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:52 pm
Isle Royale Visits: 14
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 19 times

Re: Washington Creek Rain Event Levels

Post by jerry »

There were no issues at Moskey B, Daisy F or 3mile. I just got back from there. I sat out (woke up during the storm) in shelter 2 at Moskey B. The storm (T.S) started at about 9 and went until about 4 a.m. It was a hard rain with lots of wind.
Post Reply