Flooding in Wisconsin, February 9 to 10, 2001

Name: Flooding in Wisconsin, February 9 to 10, 2001
Start: 2001-02-09T06:00
End: 2001-02-10T12:00
Location: Wisconsin

February 9 to 10, 2001 · NWS MKX · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 13 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $325,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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 MKX wrote it up.

Heavy rains, in some cases, setting new daily records across south-central and southeast Wisconsin, resulted in most rivers reaching or exceeding flood stage. Thunderstorms and cloud-to-ground lightning were reported across the southeastern counties. In addition, the heavy rains and partial snow melt of a 7 to 12 inch snow pack led to widespread flooding of farm fields, road side ditches, and other low spots. Consequently, water covered or flowed across many roads. Backed-up sewers and ice-jamming/damming made the situation worse in Milwaukee and Ozaukee Counties where water backed up into many basements and backyards. For the calendar day of the 9th, Milwaukee Mitchell Field measured 1.09 inches, breaking the old record of .83 inches. Likewise, Madison's Truax Field (Dane Co.) set a new daily record of 1.29 inches. The 2-day total for the 8th and 9th came to 1.75 inches in Madison and 2.33 inches in Milwaukee. In Waterford (Racine Co.), the 2-day total was 2.48 inches.Commuting times for workers during the morning hours of the 9th were substantially increased and dozens of schools were closed. The heavy rains damaged an electrical substation insulator that caused power failures in Burlington (Racine Co.), Greenfield (Milwaukee Co.), and Memomonee Falls (Waukesha Co.). About 1100 customers were without power for several hours. During the afternoon hours of the 9th, colder air pushed in, changing the rain to freezing rain and then snow. Gusty northwest winds to 30 mph resulted in blowing snow and reduced visibilities. Many icy patches developed on water-covered roads, resulting in at least 400 vehicle accidents. About a dozen people were treated for injuries in area hospitals (indirect injuries). Mainstream flooding was the worst along the Fox River in Kenosha County, and the Root River Canal near Raymond in Racine County. The Fox River near New Munster (Kenosha Co.) went above its 10 foot flood stage at 0800CST on the 9th and remained above flood stage until 1230CST on Feb 24th. It crested at 11.92 feet at 0500CST on Feb 16th. The Root River Canal near Raymond went above its 9 foot flood stage at 0600CST on the 9th and remained above flood stage until 0300CST on Feb 12th. It crested at 11.11 feet at 1015CST on Feb 10th. Once again, many homes along these rivers had water in their basements as well as backyards, etc.Synoptically, a strong low pressure moved from the southern Rockies through the southern plains and then through Minnesota on Feb 9th. Ahead of the low, southerly winds pulled warm, moist air into southern Wisconsin, as temperatures maxed out in the 35 to 48 degree range.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Milwaukee, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 9, 3:00 AM CST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 3:00 AM CST, 3 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
300 AM CST FRI FEB 9 2001

EXTREMELY COMPLICATED FORECAST SITUATION THIS MORNING. THE CHALLENGES
ARE HUGE.  THERE IS PERIODIC CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY JUST TO OUR SW...
TEMPERATURES HOVERING PRECARIOUSLY CLOSE TO FREEZING...A SECONDARY
LOW RIDING QUICKLY UP THE SFC BNDRY...DEEPENING FROM THE INFLUENCE
OF A COUPLED UPR JET STRUCTURE.  ADDITIONALLY...TEMPS IN THE MID 40S
ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST AND STEADY MODERATE RAINFALL EARLY THIS
MORNING WILL LIKELY CAUSE SOME PROBLEMS WITH FLOODING.  THE FOX
RIVER AT NEW MUNSTER IS ALREADY IN FLOOD. THE MAIN PROBLEM IS WHERE
TO PLACE THE HEADLINES AND WHAT TYPE TO MAKE THEM.  CURRENTLY THERE
IS A WINTER STORM WARNING IN THE NW CWA WITH AN ADVISORY OVER THE
REMAINDER OF THE AREA ACCEPT THE MKE METRO AREA.  THIS NEEDS TO BE
ADJUSTED.

SOUNDINGS SHOW THE IMPRESSIVE WARM LAYER ALOFT BEING UNDERCUT BY
THE ARCTIC INTRUSION...ESPECIALLY OVER THE CNTRL INTO THE ERN CWA
THIS MORNING.  THIS COULD BRING A ROUND OF SIGNIFICANT ICING THAT
COULD EXCEED 1/4 INCH ACCUMULATION.  FARTHER TO THE WEST THE WARM
LAYER IS POUNDED BELOW FREEZING AT THE SAME TIME THE ARCTIC BNDRY
LAYER ARRIVES KEEPING THINGS TRANSITIONING FROM RAIN RIGHT TO SNOW.
WITH WINDS TO 20 TO 30 MPH THIS WILL JUSTIFY A WINTER STORM WARNING
WITH LOWER SNOW ACCUMS...DUE TO BLOWING AND DRIFTING. A TIER OF
COUNTIES TO THE EAST WILL HAVE A WINTER STORM WARNING PRIMARILY FOR
ICE ACCUMULATION...BUT SNOW WILL BE AN ISSUE AS WELL. ADVISORY WILL
EXIST IN THE MKE METRO FOR A GENERAL MIX.  THE BIG FLY IN ALL THIS
IS IF WE GO CONVECTIVE.  CONVECTION WILL EASILY COOL THE ENTIRE
COLUMN AND CHANGE ANY MIX RIGHT OVER TO A HEAVY SNOW.  INDEED A
COMPLEX EVENT.

ALL MODELS AGREE THAT THE UPR SYSTEM AND ATTENDANT SFC FEATURE WILL
ROCKET OUT OF HERE BY 00Z WITH CLEARING SKIES IN ITS WAKE.  THE
ARCTIC AIRMASS PLOWING IN IS COLD.  TEMPS BY SAT MORNING WILL BE
AROUND ZERO IN THE WRN CWA AND LWR TEENS IN MKE.  LITTLE MODERATION
IS EXPECTED SAT AFTN.  AS USUAL...THE COLDEST NIGHT IS THE
SECOND NIGHT AFTER THE FROPA...SAT NGT. WNDS LIGHT AND SKIES M.CLR
WILL DROP TEMPS AT OR BELOW ZERO IN MOST AREAS.

EXACT HEADLINES WILL BE ADJUSTED JUST PRIOR TO ZONE ISSUANCE...HERE
IS THE FIRST TRY.

COORDINATION WITH ARX...DVN...LOT AND CHI.

.MKX...FLOOD WATCH TODAY
       WIZ060-064>066-068>072

       WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY
       WIZ046-047-051-052-056>059-062>064-067>069

       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY
       WIZ060-065-066-070>072

DAVIS

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Columbia

When: February 9, 6:00 AM CST to February 10, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Columbia forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.467, -89.334 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Dodge

When: February 9, 6:00 AM CST to February 10, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Dodge forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.416, -88.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Washington

When: February 9, 6:00 AM CST to February 10, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.369, -88.231 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Ozaukee

When: February 9, 6:00 AM CST to February 10, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Ozaukee forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.403, -87.891 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Dane

When: February 9, 6:00 AM CST to February 10, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Dane forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.067, -89.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Jefferson

When: February 9, 6:00 AM CST to February 10, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Waukesha

When: February 9, 6:00 AM CST to February 10, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Waukesha forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.018, -88.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Milwaukee

When: February 9, 6:00 AM CST to February 10, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Milwaukee forecast zone
Property damage: $40,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.022, -87.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Green

When: February 9, 6:00 AM CST to February 10, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Green forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.680, -89.602 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Rock

When: February 9, 6:00 AM CST to February 10, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Rock forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Walworth

When: February 9, 6:00 AM CST to February 10, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Walworth forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.669, -88.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Racine

When: February 9, 6:00 AM CST to February 10, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Racine forecast zone
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.730, -87.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Kenosha

When: February 9, 6:00 AM CST to February 10, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Kenosha forecast zone
Property damage: $90,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.573, -87.840 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, February 2001

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: 5232323, 5232324, 5232325, 5232326, 5232327, 5232328, 5232329, 5232330, 5232331, 5232332, 5232333, 5232334, 5232335.