A dangerous flash flooding situation unfolded across portions of Wisconsin on Saturday and Sunday, including the Milwaukee area, that led to numerous reports of 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.
“Attention Fairgoers!” park officials said in a Facebook post. “The State Fair Park is closing. Please use caution as you make your way to the nearest exit as safely as possible and follow the directions of the Fair Park staff and police as you exit.”
Earlier in the evening, officials announced that the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert scheduled for Saturday evening had been canceled because of the severe weather and flooding.
“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.
As the dangerous situation unfolded, officials were urging residents to keep an eye on the forecast and prepare to take action to stay safe.
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.
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.”
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.”
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