MDEQ: July storm a 1,000-year event

Since the July 11 storm ravaged the Gogebic Range and beyond, the debate has raged.

Was it a 25-year storm, 50-year event or perhaps a 100-year occurrence?

Last week, Linda Hansen,, of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s Water Resources Division, offered an answer.

“Per our DEQ Hydrologic Studies Unit, these intensities and durations meet or exceed a 1,000-year storm event,” she said.

“The Gogebic County Airport reported 9 inches of rain in six hours, while weather observers near Lake Superior recorded up to 11 inches of rain in four hours,” Hansen said.

Her comment...