The Milwaukee region started to dry out on Monday following a weekend of unprecedented rainfall in Wisconsin, where unofficial records showed over 14 inches (36 centimeters) fell within less than a day. This deluge triggered record-high flooding in multiple rivers, sweeping away vehicles, inundating basements, and leaving thousands without electricity.
As of Monday morning, no fatalities had been reported from the storms that started Saturday night and continued into Sunday. Road closures were less widespread on Monday, though flood warnings persisted in Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Ozaukee counties. Approximately 2,000 households in the area were still without electricity as of Monday afternoon.
Residents couldn’t believe what they saw as rains pounded the area Saturday night.
Colby McMillan and a friend were driving home around 11 p.m. in Milwaukee when their car stalled out in what McMillian thought was just a puddle.
Then the water started coming in under the door.
“When the water started coming in, it was just like, ‘What is going on?’” McMillan recounted on Monday. “The situation was incredibly surprising to me. We had to leave the vehicle and escape the rain. I had never experienced anything like that before.”
They escaped and helped others avoid getting stuck like they did. But the car was totaled, McMillan said.
As floodwaters started to recede, Milwaukee continued to evaluate the damage, according to Jerrel Kruschke, the city’s public works director.
After inspecting some of the damage in Wauwatosa’s suburbs, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared a state of emergency, labeling the flooding as “unprecedented.”
Rob Sieracki, who resides opposite a dog park, noted that the area was entirely submerged. He discovered that a car was underwater after seeing a photograph the following day.
About two feet (60 centimeters) of water came up the front of his house, built in 1890, resulting in several inches of flooding in his basement. He also lost power for 15 hours.
“Because we’re on a hill, we turned out to be relatively OK,” Sieracki said. “Some water did come in, it’s stinky water, we think it’s sewage, but we’ll be OK.”
The flash flooding led to the cancellation of the final day of the Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis outside of Milwaukee on Sunday, as well as USA Triathlon’s Sprint and Paratriathlon National Championships in Milwaukee. Thousands of athletes from around the country were expected to participate in that event.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said he’s hearing stories of residents across the city, including his own uncle, who had water all the way up to the top of their basement.
“I certainly hope that a storm like this does not visit on the city for at least another millennium,” Johnson said.
The National Weather Service predicted more rain for the area Monday night, but nothing like the prolonged deluge Saturday into Sunday that caused the flash flooding.
“There could be some areas that get some heavy downpours,” said Sarah Marquardt, a National Weather Service meteorologist at the Milwaukee/Sullivan office. That could prolong areas with standing water but not result in additional flooding, she said.
The National Weather Service said four rivers in the Milwaukee area hit record-high levels over the weekend. The official two-day rain total at the Milwaukee airport of 6.91 inches (about 17.6 centimeters) was the second-highest on record, Marquardt said. The record was 7.18 inches set in June 2008. The single-day total at the airport on Saturday of 5.74 inches (about 14.6 centimeters) was second only to the record of 6.81 inches set in 1986, Marquardt said.
Unofficial two-day rain totals in the 10- to 12-inch range, with one reading exceeding more than 14 inches (about 35.6 centimeters) in northwestern Milwaukee County, would set record highs for the state once verified over the coming weeks, Marquardt said. The current state record is 11.72 inches (about 29.8 centimeters) set in 1946.
The Kinnickinnic, Milwaukee, Menominee and Root rivers all hit record highs over the weekend, with the Milwaukee River going more than 4-feet over flood level, Marquardt said.
A teenager clinging to a tree branch and standing on a submerged log was rescued by firefighters in an inflatable boat on Sunday afternoon after getting swept away as the Root River flooded a road in Franklin, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Milwaukee. He was rescued unharmed about 100 yards (91 meters) downstream from where he entered, the Franklin Fire Department said.
Firefighters responded to over 600 calls including for gas leaks, flooded basements, electrical outages and water rescues, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department.
