If 2013 Was A 100-Year Flood, What Was This? [Video]

They called it a 100-year flood. In April 2013, the Grand River crested at 21.8 feet, which was a 100-year high.

So what do you call it when the second highest flood in history comes less than five years later?

The Grand River crested on Sunday at 20.67 feet, and according to the National Weather Service, that makes it the second highest river level in history, the highest being the historic 21.8 crest in April 2013, which was referred to as a '100-year flood'.

So what does that make this flood? A sub-100 year, five year follow up? That doesn't really roll off the tongue.

The fortunate take away this time, is that the city of Grand Rapids used the 2013 flood to back up its flood walls and raise them in some cases to make this year's damage minimal in comparison.

And while Grand Rapidians didn't take to the flooded streets on jet skis like they did in Kalamazoo, we did drive though barricades, which is never a good idea.

Here's some photos I shot Saturday, well before the Grand River crested.

The flotsam at the Sixth Street Dam included tires and a bed frame.

Here's where the River Walk ends, thanks to flooding near Canal Park.

High water flowing under the Sixth Street Bridge, where things often seem precarious.

And, Riverside Park was closed because at this point it was just "River".

This wonderful drone footage was posted on the Grand Rapids Information Network.