spring

Angry waters across Michigan

Posted on April 15, 2026April 15, 2026 by farlane

There used to be a bridge here by Nate Griswold

The state of Michigan has been absolutely pummeled by severe weather over the last week, and it’s taking a serious & unprecedented toll on our roads & bridges as demonstrated in the photos my friend Nate shared with me from Johnson Rd near Kaleva.

Just a few of the impacted areas include the pictured damage near Kaleva, flooding in Frankenmuth, Traverse City’s Boardman River bridging its banks & taking out bridges (for sure check out the 40 photos+ of the damage by Madi Taylor), a washout on the M-119 “Tunnel of Trees”, flooding along the Muskegon River, worries at dams including Mio Dam, significant damage across southeast Michigan including Ann Arbor & Metro Detroit, and an evacuation order in Cheboygan due to concerns about the Cheboygan Dam failing discussed yesterday. I could go on and on, but I’m just going to share hopes that everyone can stay safe and look in on their neighbors!!

CBS Detroit has an overview of the concerns and how a historic late winter snowstorm combined with an extremely rapid warmup & heavy spring rains to create this perfect storm of terrible outcomes.

Holding back the flood at Cheboygan Dam

Posted on April 14, 2026April 14, 2026 by farlane

Cheboygan Dam by MSP Emergency Management & Homeland Security Division

Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula are absolutely drowning in floodwater. One place that is very apparent is Cheboygan, where Gov Whitmer declared a State of Emergency on Friday due to rising water levels at the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex.

I’ve been following this over the weekend and the level of all hands on deck activity is pretty incredible, certainly a testament to lessons learned by the collapse of the Edenfield & Sanford Dams six years ago. Michigan Department of Transportation has closed the US-23 bascule bridge in Cheboygan near the dam by raising its deck to the open position. The foundation of the bridge (built in 1940) is susceptible to erosion during flood events. Traffic is being detoured to the Lincoln Avenue Bridge, and residents are urged to follow the Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department for the latest updates.

There’s more photos of efforts at the dam below along with an absolutely wild video from the dam shared a couple of days ago by Michigan Storm Chasers on YouTube.

Detroit Tigers Opening Day 2026

Posted on April 3, 2026 by farlane

Detroit Tigers Opening Day at Comerica Park

With sunny skies and temps near 70° at 1:10pm when fan favorite Brandon Inge throws out the first pitch, today looks like a fantastic day for Tiger baseball and Opening Day fun!

If you’re not lucky enough to have tickets to the sold out home opener, a highlight will be the Opening Day Block Party that takes over Witherell Street alongside Comerica Park with music, entertainment, and fan activations with appearances from PAWS and Rally Cats.

Other highlights for the day include Downton Detroit’s free Opening Day Tailgate Party in Grand Circus Park next to the ballpark with the food trucks & the game on the big screen, and of course my friends in the Honest 2 God Jug Band playing the opening day party right after the game at historic Cliff’s Bells.

Let’s go Tigers!!

Is it Spring in Michigan? That depends on where you live…

Posted on March 24, 2026March 24, 2026 by farlane

Melting by smiles7

mLive’s Mark Torregrossa shares that Michigan’s northern & southern halves will have completely different temperature patterns this week (see the NOAA temperature graphic for Thursday below):

For southern Michigan, we have three spring-like days and four almost-wintry days. For northern Michigan, we have a slight taste of spring temperatures Tuesday and Wednesday, with the rest of the days more like winter. It looks much warmer in the first week of April.

Julie took this shot of the Mighty Mac back in April of 2021. Here’s a photo of the ice at Tahquamenon Falls breaking free that she shared 10 years ago plus a shot of a classic spring skiing slush pond from the other day. Follow her on Flickr for the latest!

Great moments in Michigan Equinox history

Posted on March 20, 2026March 20, 2026 by farlane

Day 188/365 “Equinox” by PhotoLab507

Spring officially begins today with the vernal equinox at 10:46am, and the statewide forecast from NOAA looks like it will more or less cooperate with highs in the 60s in southern Michigan and the entire state expected to top freezing today – a welcome respite!

The photographer shared this way back in 2008, writing “MOMENTS after I took this shot, I balanced this egg on this nail. Unfortunately I didn’t “catch” that event but here is the lead-up to it. So, an egg CAN balance on the head of a nail on spring equinox.” So close!! For sure follow them on Flickr for the latest!

There’s lots more science on Michigan in Pictures, but to be strictly scientific, the equinox has no measurable effect on your ability to balance an egg! With that said, would love to see your egg balancing photos!!

Bring on the Spring!

Posted on March 19, 2026March 19, 2026 by farlane

Crocus by Bill Dolak

“In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” -Mark Twain

Tomorrow morning our seasonal window moves from winter to spring regardless of what the weather decides to do.

I am a firm vote for “Spring stuff” aka flowers, baby animals, duckies, etc, but to prepare you for whatever lies ahead, here are some flowers just minding their own business from Bill. See more in his massive Flowers gallery on Flickr & follow Bill’s Pictures on Facebook for his latest!

Let the sun shine brightly in March

Posted on March 13, 2026 by farlane

Let me first wish a very happy 313 Day to the city of Detroit & all who love it! There is no city that I would rather be from, and none that I’d rather live in. Then let me also say that I think it’s kind of hilarious that I was looking for the perfect photo to celebrate the city and already had it queued up for a post!

Let the sun shine bright on the city by Scott Laidlaw

USA Today shares that the dramatic increase in daylight in March is part of a fascinating and unbalanced yearly cycle:

While sunrise and sunset times are constantly on the move, sunlight rapidly increases in March (and rapidly decreases in September). During the month of March, some parts of the United States will add over an hour-and-a-half of sun by the end of the month.

…The increase in daylight, or the amount of time the sun spends above the horizon, will be most obvious in the northernmost parts of the U.S., which will face the sun more directly as the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the sun on Earth’s axis at a 23.5-degree angle, according to Brandon Buckingham, a meteorologist at AccuWeather.

FYI, Michigan will pick up between 80 and 100 minutes of daylight this month.

Scott took this back in 2020 and he notes how 3-D it looks. You can see more in his massive Detroit gallery & for sure follow him on Flickr for the latest!

The mural was the 100th painted by Detroit artist Waleed Johnson which is pretty amazing when you consider how much work it is to paint a mural!

Friday Tornadoes devastate Southwest Michigan

Posted on March 9, 2026March 9, 2026 by farlane

Union Lake tornado damage by MSP Emergency Management & Homeland Security Division

Fox 2 Detroit reports that the National Weather Service has confirmed that three separate tornadoes ripped through southwestern Michigan Friday night:

A lone supercell developed in La Porte County, Indiana, that moved up into Cass, St Joseph, and Branch counties in Michigan, where the death and destruction happened. Four people have died, including a 12-year-old boy in Cass County, and three people in Union City. Penni Jo Guthrie was identified as one of the three Union City victims. The other two have not been identified publicly yet.

…The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado had touched down in Union City. An EF-3 tornado with winds reaching at least 150mph has been confirmed according to their initial assessment. An EF-2 tornado was confirmed to have touched down in Three Rivers, and a third tornado was confirmed in the Edwardsburg area, but no rating was assigned to it as of Saturday evening.

Governor Whitmer activated the State Emergency Operations Center Friday night & you can head over to their Facebook for some Michigan State Police Drone overflight videos.

Disasters are always magnets for scams, so it’s important to research who’s asking and where it’s going. The good people over at Michigan Storm Chasers are sharing great info on their Facebook & have created an Amazon Wish List for relief efforts that I encourage you to consider. If you want to include something for the four legged homies who are also hit hard by disaster, the Humane Society of Southwest Michigan is a good option.

Here’s a video of the tornado that caused the damage in the photo above. There’s something extra terrifying about seeing a tornado across a frozen lake.

The Chickadee and the Apple Tree

Posted on May 28, 2025 by farlane

The Chickadee and the Apple Tree by Michigan Nut Photography

Some gorgeous springtime pics from John along with a reminder to enjoy it while it’s here! See his latest on Facebook or Instagram and for sure view & purchase his work on his website.

Cherry Blossoms behind schedule in 2025

Posted on May 12, 2025May 12, 2025 by farlane

Cherry Blossom Time by Mark Smith

While a lot of cherries in the lower half of the Lower Peninsula have already bloomed, cherry blossoms in Michigan’s Cherry Capital of Northwest Lower Michigan are just getting going!

Mark Smith shared the first picture below with me last Thursday from the western side of the Leelanau Peninsula along with a couple recent pics & several more from years past. Cherry blossoms should be great up there for a few weeks at least – follow Leelanau.com for the latest and for sure check out Mark’s Leelanau Landscapes website to view & purchase his work!

More cherries & cherry blossoms on Michigan in Pictures!