As a result of persistent spring rains and winter melt, large chunks of ice crashed into homes along Michigan’s Black Lake in the northeastern Lower Peninsula, flooding many homes and threatening to overflow the pressure dam system.
Photos and videos posted to social media on Wednesday showed ice breaking through doors and windows and remaining in the living room. Homes, garages and sheds could also be seen surrounded by several feet of muddy, brown river and lake water.
Spring rains and winter snowmelt caused rivers and lakes to rise, forcing floodwaters to flow through Sheboygan County communities toward Lake Huron.
“Black Lake, Black River, Sheboygan River, Burt Lake, Mullett Lake, Sturgeon River – and nearly every waterway in the county – have overflowed their banks, engulfing docks, roads, yards and, in many cases, homes,” the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office told residents on its Facebook page last week. “What should have been a familiar shoreline has now become an unrecognizable expanse of water.”
Homes on the west side of Black Lake were evacuated over the weekend, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“These are ice caps. They’re huge,” said Christopher Narsesian, who took photos and videos of the damage. “They’re mini glaciers, if you like. They wash away everything in their path. Nothing can stop that weight.”
State and county officials are working to prevent debris and ice from blocking the Sheboygan Lock and Dam complex so water can flow into Lake Huron.
If water levels were normal, lake ice would break up in place as it melts, said Patrick Barker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord, Michigan.
He added that the ice on Black Lake was likely pushed ashore by winds.
“The fact that the water is so high, the ice … has more room to move,” Barker said.
Ice also passes through nearby Mallett Lake. Both lakes feed into the Sheboygan River, which flows through the Sheboygan Dam.
“We have resolved some ice issues on Mullet Lake,” said Patrick Ettel, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Incident Management Team.
Last week, crews added water pumps and the power supply is adequate Restored to an old hydroelectric station to increase the flow of water through the dam. Cranes were also used to remove flood gates.
On April 9, a large chunk of ice snapped a safety cable at the Sheboygan lock and dam complex, forcing the Department of Natural Resources to close access upstream and downstream of the dam.
“We can’t have big chunks of ice coming down and blocking the gate,” Ertel said. “Two marine vessels are on the Sheboygan River … breaking up chunks. The more water we can get safely through the Sheboygan Dam, the faster we can provide relief to Mullet Lake. It’s going as fast as it can go. It’s driven purely by gravity.”
The smaller Alverno Dam is located between Black Lake and the Sheboygan River.
“The ice from Black Lake won’t flow into the Sheboygan River. It will be trapped,” Ertel said.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency in Sheboygan and more than 30 other Michigan counties due to flooding and other severe weather this month.
Narsesian lives near Sheboygan and grew up on the shores of Black Lake.
He described it as a “slab of ice several miles wide” that continued to float in the lake. Ice and snow are “rushing into houses, washing them away and leveling them,” he said. He said some of the ice was pushed as high as the roof.
“We’ve never seen it this high,” Narsesian said. “Typically, the ice only goes over the broken wall in front of the house, maybe a few feet. People’s houses don’t usually flood. The ice just melts.”
The water is receding, but Narsesian said it’s still high and the ice is still there.
“As long as the wind stops picking up and moving again, we should be fine,” he said. “If the ice does come back, it will cause even more damage.”
Narsesian said his biggest concern was the consequences for the community, where “it’s all friends and family” and “everyone knows everyone.”
“Most people don’t have any help — insurance,” he added. ” flood insurance It’s never necessary. No one here has ever seen this. a lot of. “
Photo: This image provided by Christopher Narsesian shows large ice patches and flooding at Black Lake, Michigan, in the northeastern Lower Peninsula on April 19, 2026. (Christopher Narsesian, Associated Press)
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