MILWAUKEE – A dangerous flash flooding situation unfolded across portions of Wisconsin over the weekend, including the Milwaukee area, that led to numerous reports flooded roads and homes and forcing officials to close the Wisconsin State Fair.
The rounds of torrential rain and thunderstorms led to Milwaukee seeing its second-wettest day on record on Saturday after about 5.74 inches of rain fell during the evening hours. By Sunday morning, rainfall totals increased to about 6.69 inches.
“This is some unprecedented flooding that we have seen across the Milwaukee area, radar estimating over 10 inches in a handful of communities and that’s in a fairly short period of time,” FOX 6 News Milwaukee Meteorologist Stephanie Barichello said during an interview with FOX Weather on Sunday morning.
Officials announced on Saturday night that they would be closing the Wisconsin State Fair early due to the dangerous situation that was unfolding, and that also affected the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert.
“While we tried everything within our control to allow this show to go on, for the safety of our artists, team, and Fairgoers, we cannot host this concert,” officials said.
And because of the continued flood threat on Sunday, officials made the difficult decision to keep the Wisconsin State Fair closed on Sunday.
Sunday was supposed to be the last day the Wisconsin State Fair would be open.
“We are saddened we cannot deliver this final day of the Wisconsin State Fair, but know that this is the best decision with current conditions and the forecast ahead,” officials said.
As the dangerous situation unfolded, officials were urging residents to keep an eye on the forecast and prepare to take action to stay safe.
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According to Alderman Peter Burgelis, a high number of 911 calls were made related to the flooding.
“Department are aware of numerous intersections affected and are conducting rescue operations,” he said in a Facebook post.
Burgelis urged people who had called 911 to remain on the line because calls were being answered in the order in which they were received.
“Please do not hang up,” he pleaded.
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Numerous roads across the region were closed by first responders due to the rushing water, making the situation extremely dangerous for anyone traveling in the area.
“Even on my way into work this morning, I live about 15 minutes from our station just north of Milwaukee,” Barichello said. “It took me about an hour and 45 minutes to get here. So, even at this hour, we have so many stretches of roadway and we’re talking well-traveled roads here that are closed because of flooding.”
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Woman killed after tree falls on vehicle in Nebraska
The central Plains were also slammed by severe weather over the weekend, leading to the death of at least one person in Nebraska.
According to the Waterloo Fire Department, emergency crews responded to reports of an injury at Two Rivers State Park on Saturday evening. Officials said a large cottonwood tree had fallen onto the vehicle, trapping a man and woman inside.
The woman was declared dead at the scene, and the man was pinned in the vehicle.
“The extraction process was complex and challenging due to the size and weight of the cottonwood tree,” officials said in a Facebook post. “Emergency responders worked diligently for approximately 90 minutes to free the male patient from the wreckage.”
He was then taken to a local hospital with what officials describe as life-threatening injuries.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of life in this tragic incident and want to express our heartfelt condolences to the victim’s family,” officials said. “We are so grateful for the coordinated efforts of all the agencies involved in this complex rescue.”
Significant flash flood threat continues in Midwest, Plains
(FOX Weather)
A slow-moving cold front will continue to bring torrential rain to portions of the Midwest and Plains with storms training over the same locations.
And while there is a threat of severe weather as we close out the weekend, flooding remains the main concern.
The FOX Forecast Center said the cold front is associated with a larger system in Canada that stalled-out, stretching from Kansas to Wisconsin.
That stalled front is serving as the main trigger for the repeated rounds of heavy rain and extreme weather.
Flooding forecast
(FOX Weather)
Some storms are expected to produce extremely heavy rain, with rainfall rates between 2-3 inches an hour with multiday rainfall totals reaching 9 inches or more in some areas.
Because parts of the Midwest have already seen a surplus of rain in recent weeks, it hasn’t taken much for flooding to occur.
NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC) highlighted a Level 3 out of 4 flood threat in portions of Kansas and Missouri, and a Level 2 out of 4 threat from Colorado to Wisconsin.
(FOX Weather)
The flood threat will continue until at least the first part of the upcoming workweek.
Flood Watches have been issued in parts of six states – Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Refresh this page for updates on this developing story.
