Jobbie Nooner partied on despite high water and rain

Revelers for "Jobbie Nooner" continued their Lake St. Clair boat party tradition on Friday, despite higher than normal water levels, a colder lake and a late afternoon storm. 

Scattered storms rolled through the Lake St. Clair area around 5 p.m. moving away many of the remaining participants in what has traditionally been one of North America's biggest boat parties. 

Authorities reported the party was quiet with no arrests through the late afternoon, and the number of boaters was noticeably down, said St. Clair County Sheriff Lt. Paul Reed. 

"Water temperatures are colder than normal," Reed said. "There is not a lot of swimming going on."

The annual party in and around Gull Island has been held every June since the mid-1970s. In the past, the party has attracted more than 10,000 boats and 100,000 people, police said. 

Macomb County Sheriff Sgt. Renee Yax said high water levels have submerged the beach area on the island where partygoers typically would gather.

"They are stuck either on their boats or stuck in the water," Yax said. 

Yax warned weekend boaters who are walking in the water around the island to be aware that the shipping channel east of the island quickly drops off to about 28 feet deep.