CADILLAC â The last vestiges of winter are quickly disappearing from the landscape of northern Michigan, bringing to mind pleasant thoughts of summer and all that season entails.
 One of the things that people often associate with summer is fishing, especially in the Cadillac area, where residents are blessed with an abundance of lakes, rivers and streams.
On Tuesday, three young men from Cadillac went to the Lake Cadillac side of the canal to throw some lines in the water.
Gusty winds blowing west to east Tuesday made it difficult to fish anywhere on a westward-facing shore, such as the canal on the Lake Mitchell side or the dock in the city park but the canal on the Lake Cadillac side was OK because they could cast with the wind instead of against it.
That s when flooding can occur.
As director of Osceola County Emergency Management, Watkins said he keeps a close eye on water levels, the degree of soil thaw and other factors this time of year.Â
With temperatures expected to rise into the 50s during the next few days, accompanied by rain, there s a good chance that water levels in lakes and rivers will rise throughout the area.
He said the possibility of flooding is ever-present for people who own homes in the Evart area near the Muskegon River. It s something those residents always have to look out for, Watkins said. It s such a regular thing.