MILWAUKEE — Record rainfall fell across much of the metro Milwaukee area late Aug. 9 and early Aug. 10, leading to major flash flooding across the region, cancelling concerts, submerging cars, and shutting down the Wisconsin State Fair.
The heavy rain was part of a larger system that affected much of the central United States. The National Weather Service said repeated additional rounds of heavy rain are likely to produce instances of flash flooding from the central Plains to the Midwest on Aug. 10.
In hard-hit Milwaukee, no flood-related deaths were reported within the city, but residents are facing major property damage, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said around noon on Aug. 10. Officials pleaded with residents to stay out of their cars and off the roads.
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said 65 water rescues were completed overnight. Dozens of people were rescued from in or on top of their cars, he said.
‘We’re all experiencing the same thing: Basement flooding’
The full extent of the flood damage will be sorted out in the days to come as homeowners and apartment dwellers deal with flooded basements.
Jacqueline Zeledon lives on the city’s northwest side near Glendale, Wisconsin. She said three feet of floodwater poured into her basement, all after 2 a.m., and she said four neighbors reported flooding up to their thighs.
“Everyone is waking up and we’re all experiencing the same thing: Basement flooding,” she said. “All is lost. Our furnace, water heater, deep freezer with food, CD collection, clothes, appliances; all that is downstairs is damaged.”
As Zeledon was talking about the damage, she looked out her street to watch debris float away. Manhole covers had popped off, and a lost dog didn’t know which way to walk.
Events cancelled
The Wisconsin State Fair, held in West Allis, a suburb of Milwaukee, was shut down early in the evening of Aug. 9, and will not reopen for its scheduled final day on Aug. 10. Meanwhile, the USA Triathlon Sprint and Paratriathlon National Championships in Milwaukee were canceled due to flooding, Weather.com reported.
The Major League Baseball game between the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers is being played as scheduled on Aug. 10, a day after rain pushed through the roof at American Family Field during the Brewers’ victory over the Mets on Aug. 9.
Even as rains came down on Aug. 9, people at the State Fair made the most of the situation. The Wisconsin State FFA Honors Band and Choir, featuring members ages 13 to 21, got a much bigger audience than anticipated at the Youth Exhibit Hall as hundreds sought shelter from the storm.
Monte Dunnum, the band’s director, said the bolstered crowd got into the performance.
“I think we were able to raise their spirits in what became a torrential downpour for more than an hour and eventually led to the fair closing early,” Dunnum said. “FFA band members had a great time and I think the audience had at least a really nice diversion during a weather delay. It was a more entertaining performance than we had even expected.”
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How much rain fell?
According to the National Weather Service, 5.74 inches of rain fell on Aug. 9, smashing the daily rainfall record for Milwaukee, which was previously 1.64 inches of rain, Weather.com said in an online report.
“By early Aug. 10 morning, Milwaukee picked up additional rainfall, bringing the storm total to nearly 7 inches of rain. Radar estimates around Milwaukee show rainfall totals as high as 10-11 inches,” said Weather.com meteorologist Jennifer Gray.
River levels falling after record-breaking highs overnight
River levels in the Milwaukee area continue to fall after extreme storms sent them to record-breaking heights overnight.
The Milwaukee River has fallen to 8.7 feet in downtown Milwaukee, after cresting at a record high of 11.19 feet early in the morning, said Andrew Quigley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Meteorologists continue to monitor river levels as rain showers move through the area this afternoon.
‘Don’t drive through floodwaters’
The Milwaukee fire department is still catching up on Aug. 10 afternoon, a frustrated Lipski said as he gestured to cars driving through a flooded intersection on the city’s northwest side where 14 inches of rain fell overnight. “We’ve been telling people over and over and over again: Don’t drive through the water,” Lipski told reporters.
“This is how we have hundreds of vehicles around the city blocking intersections, making progress absolutely impossible. We need everybody to help us out here. We can’t do everything. We can’t be everywhere at once. Don’t drive through the floodwaters.”
