The Milwaukee area started to dry out on Monday after weekend rains reached unofficial state records of over 14 inches (36 centimeters) in under 24 hours. This led to multiple rivers flooding at record levels, washing away vehicles, submerging basements, and leaving thousands without electricity.
No fatalities were reported as of Monday morning from the storms that began Saturday night and lasted into Sunday. Road closures were more sporadic by Monday as flood warnings remained in effect for Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Ozaukee counties. Approximately 3,000 homes in the region were still without power by Monday morning.
Tom Groppi shared with WISN-TV that the basement of his Milwaukee home, which had never flooded in over 50 years, had 3 feet (around 91 centimeters) of water over the weekend.
“What are you going to do?” he said with a laugh. “I’ve been lucky.”
The National Weather Service forecasted additional rain for the area on Monday night, but it was not expected to match the extended downpour from Saturday into Sunday that resulted in flash flooding.
“We are not expecting the level that we saw over the weekend, but there could be some areas that get some heavy downpours,” stated Sarah Marquardt, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Milwaukee/Sullivan office. This could extend the presence of standing water, but it is unlikely to cause further flooding, she noted.
The National Weather Service reported that four rivers in the Milwaukee area reached record-high levels over the weekend. The Milwaukee airport recorded a two-day rain total of 6.91 inches (around 17.6 centimeters), marking the second-highest on record, according to Marquardt. The record was 7.18 inches set in June 2008. Saturday’s single-day total at the airport was 5.74 inches (approximately 14.6 centimeters), second only to the 6.81 inches record set in 1986, Marquardt added.
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 on Sunday afternoon after getting swept away in quickly moving water on a road flooded by the Root River in Franklin, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Milwaukee. He was rescued by firefighters on an inflatable boat about 100 yards (91 meters) downstream from where he entered, the Franklin Fire Department said. He was unharmed.
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.
Firefighters responded to over 600 calls including for gas leaks, flooded basements, electrical outages and water rescues, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department.
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