Wisconsin, 1996

Flash Flooding in Wisconsin, April 19 to 22, 1996

April 19 to 22, 1996 · NWS DLH · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

The combination of melting snowpack, ice jams, and heavy rain caused flooding of creeks, streams, and small rivers across northwest Wisconsin. The most serious flooding occurred along the Bad River where 15-20 homes near the community of Odanah were flooded.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS DLH wrote it up.

The combination of melting snowpack, ice jams, and heavy rain caused flooding of creeks, streams, and small rivers across northwest Wisconsin. The most serious flooding occurred along the Bad River where 15-20 homes near the community of Odanah were flooded. High water near Odanah also closed a 300 yard stretch of U.S. Highway 2, the main east-west traffic carrier across northern Wisconsin. Minor flooding also occurred along other area waterways, including the Montreal River on the Wisconsin-Michigan border, the Nemadji and Amnicon Rivers in Douglas County, and Devils Creek in Mellen.

The radar

The Duluth radar (KDLH), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:50 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Douglas

When
April 19, 5:55 PM CST to April 22, 10:20 AM CST
Where
Douglas forecast zone, Superior
Coordinates
46.464, -91.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Bayfield

When
April 19, 5:55 PM CST to April 22, 10:20 AM CST
Where
Bayfield forecast zone
Coordinates
46.635, -91.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Ashland

When
April 19, 5:55 PM CST to April 22, 10:20 AM CST
Where
Ashland forecast zone
Coordinates
46.510, -90.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Iron

When
April 19, 5:55 PM CST to April 22, 10:20 AM CST
Where
Iron forecast zone
Coordinates
46.317, -90.264 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Wisconsin in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, April 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5583299, 5583300, 5583301, 5583302.