How The Current Grand River Flood Ranks Historically

In a truly rare moment for the state of Michigan, the entire state is under a Flood Watch due to heavy rain, storms that have washed out roads and railroads and destroyed parts of the Tunnel of Trees, and snowmelt that has left the Cheboygan dam just 6 inches from overflowing. Conditions aren't expected to improve until later this week.

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With flooding a major concern across the state, we wanted to look at some of the times Grand Rapids' eponymous river, the Grand River, has flooded, from the present day back to the early 1900s.

Grand River Flooding, 2026

According to the NOAA, the Grand River is considered at a flooding stage, or "action, when the river reaches the crests at 12 ft. This month of flooding has seen the river barely eclipse the "minor" flooding stage of 18 ft on April 8th. While the river has gone down since then, recent storms are causing the river to rise one more. If the forecast holds true, this flooding of the Grand River could reach the third-highest level on record.

In recent years, the Grand River has seen 3 of its 5 record-setting crests (the highest water levels), with the 2013 flood holding the record at 21.85 ft on April 21st, 2013. These are the top 10 floods in recorded history:

1. 21.85 ft on April 21st, 2013
2. 20.67 ft on February 25th, 2018
3. 19.64 ft on March 1st, 1985
4. 19.55 ft on May 22nd, 2020
5. 19.54 ft on May 27th, 2004
6. 19.50 ft on March 28th, 1904 (The Great Michigan Flood of 1904)
7. 19.29 ft on March 8th, 1976
8. 19.25 ft on October 4th, 1986
9. 19.25 ft on April 3rd, 1960
10. 18.86 ft on April 8th, 2023

Take a look at some historical photos of early 1900s floods below.