Flooding in Wisconsin, June 13, 1999

After experiencing several round of moderate to heavy rains during the week of June 6-12, parts of southcentral and southeast Wisconsin suffered yet another round of heavy rains on June 13th. The result was widespread flooding of rivers, streams, creeks, and urban areas. Many roads were closed, and there were several cases of soil erosion, road shoulder washouts. As always, many basements sustained damage to personal property. Estimated property damage for each county was $100,000 for Green Co., $125,000 for Walworth Co., $150,000 for Racine Co., $300,000 for Kenosha Co., $75,000 for Waukesha Co., and $150,000 for Milwaukee Co.Up to 1.5 inches fell in eastern Green County, resulting in closed roads in the Albany, Brooklyn, and Brodhead areas. The Sugar River at Brodhead (Green Co.), crested at 7.00 feet at 0745CST on June 15th, or 2 feet above flood stage. At this location it was above flood stage from 2030CST on June 13th through 1545CST on June 16th.Anywhere from 3.1 to 4.1 inches of rain fell over the eastern parts of Waukesha and Walworth Counties, southern Milwaukee County, and Kenosha and Racine Counties in an 18-hour period from 0000CST to 1800CST. Most of it fell within a couple hours either side of 1100CST. In eastern Waukesha County, the cities of Elm Grove, Brookfield, and New Berlin had the worst flooding. In Milwaukee County, the deep tunnel system overflowed, basements were flooded, the Hale Interchange on I-94 was closed, and Summerfest on the lakefront did not open. A walk-bridge over the Menomonee River in Wauwatosa was washed away by the flood waters. The Fox River in western Racine and western Kenosha County flooded at levels not seen for 12 years. Seventy-five homes were evacuated in the villages Salem, Silver Lake, and Wheatland in Kenosha County. Many cars stalled in rushing water that reached a depth of 3 to 4 feet on some roads. Several roads were closed, and some residents had to be rescued from their homes because the water was rising 1 inch per hour on the Fox River. In Burlington (Racine Co.), all city parks were completely flooded, and serious soil erosion in a couple new housing developments was noted. Due to the heavy rains in the Fox River watershed, the Fox River at New Munster (Kenosha Co.) eventually crested at 13.68 feet at 0215CST on June 15th, or 3.68 feet over flood stage. The flooding was characterized as "moderate." The river at this location was above flood stage from 1700CST on June 12th through 1700CST on June 22nd.