Flash Flood in Wisconsin, June 18, 1996

Torrential rainfalls due to "training" thunderstorms moving N/NW into Port Washington resulted in probably the worst flash flooding ever experienced by that city. Within about 2 hours the city picked up 6 to over 7 inches of rain... on top of 5 to 6.5 inches that fell in the previous two days. Water reached 3 to 4 feet deep on some roads, while most manhole covers were swept away. A state of Emergency was declared by city officials at 0800CST, with the height of the storm occurring at 0830 to 0900CST. Mudslides were reported on several of the city's hills. Whole sections of some city streets were washed away. A ramaging Sauk Creek, running through the city, severely damaged the Wisconsin State Bridge. A railroad embankment on Grand Ave. was washed away, and another section of tracks was washed out. Lake Michigan bluffs also sustained severe damage in the form of mudslides that extended down to the water's edge. The mudslides destoyed the public beach and a bike trail through Lake Park. Knocked down poles resulted in the loss electricity to about 1300 homes. About 1000 homes had a varying amount of flood damage... or 1/3 of the city's homes! About 100 businesses sustained flood damage to their property. Several automobiles were also washed away on the city's roads. Maximum rainfall in Port Washington was 7.68 inches for June 18th, on top of 5.84 inches on the previous two days. The 3-day total was 13.52 inches! By the end of June a grand total of 18.27 inches dropped out of the sky! There were no reports of injuries or deaths.