THE Wisconsin State Fair was hit by flash floods causing fairgoers to wade through water to escape.

Officials brought festivities to an early end on Saturday night after the region was lashed by up to nine inches of rain in a matter of hours.

The National Weather Service had released several life-threatening flood warnings for different regions in the state’s southeast, including Milwaukee, where the fair takes place.

Footage coming from the fair shows attendees forced to wade through the flood waters, which was almost waist-high in places, in order to escape.

Meanwhile, many returned to their vehicles to find flood waters submerging the doors.

Other locals reported seeing cars “floating around town”.

“We were there. Totally soaked and grossed out by the stand water we had to wade through to get out,” one fairgoer said on Facebook.

“Wisconsin is flooding ..people are stuck at state fair and cars are floating all around town,” another said.