Thunderstorms brought heavy rain to northwest Wisconsin early Monday, July 11th which helped to saturate the soil. During the day a strong low level jet pumped very moist air into the region.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS DLH wrote it up.
Thunderstorms brought heavy rain to northwest Wisconsin early Monday, July 11th which helped to saturate the soil. During the day a strong low level jet pumped very moist air into the region. The jet and a west to east stationary front were the triggers for thunderstorms that developed later in the day. Rounds of thunderstorms brought some damaging winds to parts of northwest Wisconsin late Monday afternoon and evening. These storms were followed by evening storms that began training as the night wore on. The training storms resulted in very heavy rain over the region. Historic flooding followed the extremely high average rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches. There was a wide corridor of about 8 to 10 inches of rain from northern Iron County to northern Burnett County, including Saxon Harbor on Lake Superior, and the towns of Marengo, Cable, Hayward, Wascott, Minong, and Danbury. The initial squall line of storms brought down many trees. The effects of the wind and a raging, flooded Oronto Creek caused enormous damage at Saxon Harbor. At Saxon Harbor, where 70 vessels were moored, 6 boats sank and the rest were set afloat. Most vessels were recovered. One man drowned in these floodwaters. The Bad River, which flows north through Ashland County into Lake Superior, set a new record, with the river level at Odanah reaching around 27.3 feet Tuesday morning, shattering the previous record of 22.2 feet set on June 24th, 1946. The Bad River Tribe of the Lake Superior Chippewa was totally cut off by the floodwater for days.
Total damage to roads and public infrastructure across northern Wisconsin was $35 million. In Ashland County, road washouts and bridge repair costs were estimated at $2 to $4 million. Washburn County damage was about $2.5 million. The Bad River Band of Ojibway had $2.3 million damage to roads. Forty-three miles of roads were damaged and closed on tribal land.
The Wisconsin governor declared states of emergency for the following counties: Iron, Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas, Burnett, Washburn, Sawyer, and Price. The President later declared disasters for all of the same counties, except for Price. The USDA secretary declared the following counties agricultural disaster areas due to destroyed crops or sharply reduced yields: Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland, Iron, Washburn, Sawyer and Price.
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 Duluth, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 11, 2:16 PM CST, 2 hours 29 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Duluth MN 316 PM CDT MON JUL 11 2016 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Tuesday) Issued at 316 PM CDT Mon Jul 11 2016 An upper level low was located in northeast MT at 19Z. Meanwhile, a surface low was meandering around eastern SD. A warm front extended eastward from the low across southern MN. A ridge of high pressure was draped along the Canadian border at 19Z and has kept much of this area of the region rain free this afternoon. Showers and thunderstorms have been percolating mainly over the southern tier of the MN portion of the forecast area today. So far, rainfall amounts from live gages has been generally less than 2 inches. However, Crow Wing and Itasca counties have a few reports between 2 and 2.25 inches of rain. Much of northwest WI has been rain free, with the exception of the storms that have developed this afternoon from Burnett to Douglas, Bayfield and Ashland counties. The current batch of storms is underneath a good sized area of 700-400mb differential vorticity advection. Expecting some training of thunderstorms late this afternoon from the Brainerd Lakes region east to Aitkin, but expect this activity to diminish as the aforementioned area of vorticity advection lifts northward into a more stable atmosphere. Will however, see more storms tonight across the area as the surface low lifts northeastward into west central MN before being absorbed into the stronger surface low in Saskatchewan. A few storms may linger over the Arrowhead and the Chequamegon National Forest area of northwest Wisconsin Tuesday morning as an upper level impulse moves through. Drier air arrives elsewhere Tuesday allowing for a rain free day. .LONG TERM...(Tuesday night through Monday) Issued at 316 PM CDT Mon Jul 11 2016 A stacked low will move east across southern Canada during the middle of the week. The Northland will initially be in warm and humid south-southwest flow, but the low's cold front will move through the Northland Wednesday, bringing cloud cover and low chances of showers. Cannot rule out thunder if there is enough heating, but the cloud cover will limit the threat. The Northland will then be in cool northwest flow Thursday, which will promote widespread broken/overcast cumulus and some showers. The threat of thunder is low, but not impossible. The models are trending drier for late this week, with potentially surface high pressure over the region Friday and Saturday. The forecast kept some low chances of showers until there is greater confidence in the trend. Return flow will probably bring more heat and humidity to the Northland later in the weekend and early next week, and bring back the chances for thunderstorms. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Tuesday afternoon) Issued at 1238 PM CDT Mon Jul 11 2016 There is low confidence in the forecast. Showers and thunderstorms this morning have complicated the forecast for additional showers and storms this afternoon and evening. Conditions will probably return to VFR this afternoon, and there will be an increasing chance of thunderstorms this afternoon, with the peak of activity likely late this afternoon and this evening when a cold front approaches the region from the west. Some of the storms could be severe. There are increasing indications that low (LIFR or IFR) conditions could develop late this evening and overnight in the wake of the front when fog and low stratus develop across the Northland. The VFR conditions should return Tuesday morning, as well as gusty southwest winds by the late morning. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DLH 66 80 61 79 / 90 10 0 20 INL 65 77 61 68 / 80 10 30 50 BRD 65 81 63 79 / 70 0 0 20 HYR 68 82 64 83 / 70 10 0 10 ASX 68 82 64 83 / 60 10 0 10 && .DLH Watches/Warnings/Advisories... WI...Beach Hazards Statement until 8 PM CDT this evening for WIZ001. MN...Beach Hazards Statement until 8 PM CDT this evening for MNZ037. LS...Small Craft Advisory until 10 PM CDT this evening for LSZ144-145. && SHORT TERM...GSF LONG TERM...Grochocinski AVIATION...Grochocinski
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 410 AM CDT MON JUL 11 2016 MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-006>009-120945- KOOCHICHING-NORTH ST. LOUIS-NORTHERN COOK/NORTHERN LAKE- NORTH ITASCA-CENTRAL ST. LOUIS-SOUTHERN LAKE/NORTH SHORE- SOUTHERN COOK/NORTH SHORE-NORTH CASS-SOUTH ITASCA-SOUTH CASS- CROW WING-NORTHERN AITKIN-SOUTH AITKIN-CARLTON/SOUTH ST. LOUIS- PINE-DOUGLAS-BAYFIELD-ASHLAND-IRON-BURNETT-WASHBURN-SAWYER-PRICE- 410 AM CDT MON JUL 11 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL IMPACT THE ENTIRE NORTHLAND TODAY AND TONIGHT...WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND HEAVY RAINFALL. STRONG NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE THE THREAT OF RIP CURRENTS...MAINLY IN THE DULUTH ENTRY AFFECTING THE PARK POINT BEACH IN DULUTH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHWEST WISCONSIN ON TUESDAY...WITH A FEW STRONG STORMS POSSIBLE. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...BUT THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTERS WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED TODAY. LSZ121-140>148-120945- BAYFIELD TO OAK POINT WI-GRAND PORTAGE TO GRAND MARAIS MN- GRAND MARAIS TO TACONITE HARBOR MN- TACONITE HARBOR TO SILVER BAY HARBOR MN- SILVER BAY HARBOR TO TWO HARBORS MN-TWO HARBORS TO DULUTH MN- DULUTH MN TO PORT WING WI-PORT WING TO SAND ISLAND WI- SAND ISLAND TO BAYFIELD WI-OAK POINT TO SAXON HARBOR WI- 410 AM CDT MON JUL 11 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NORTHEAST WINDS ACROSS WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR TODAY WILL RESULT IN BUILDING WAVES...MAINLY AT THE HEAD OF THE LAKE. SEE THE LATEST MARINE WEATHER MESSAGE FOR DETAILS ON A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT. MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY SOUTH-SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE...POSSIBLY RESULTING IN HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR SMALL CRAFT. THERE IS ANOTHER CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...BUT THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. JJM MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESS: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DULUTH (ALL LOWER CASE)
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
356 PM CDT MON JUL 11 2016
MNZ033>037-112130-
SOUTH CASS-SOUTH AITKIN-CARLTON/SOUTH ST. LOUIS-CROW WING-NORTHERN
AITKIN-
356 PM CDT MON JUL 11 2016
...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT WESTERN CARLTON...SOUTH
CENTRAL CASS...CENTRAL AITKIN AND NORTHERN CROW WING COUNTIES...
AT 356 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG A LINE EXTENDING
FROM 10 MILES WEST OF KETTLE RIVER...TO BREEZY POINT...AND MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH...PEA SIZE HAIL...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS CAN BE
EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
BIG SANDY LAKE...CROSBY...BREEZY POINT...AITKIN...PEQUOT LAKES...
CROSSLAKE...NISSWA...PINE RIVER...EMILY...IRONTON...DEERWOOD...
MCGREGOR...FIFTY LAKES...CUYUNA...CROMWELL...PALISADE...TAMARACK...
MERRIFIELD...GULL LAKE AND CEDAR LAKE.
SEEK SHELTER INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL
THESE STORMS PASS.
LAT...LON 4680 9456 4675 9269 4642 9300 4642 9305
4636 9305 4631 9310 4647 9452
TIME...MOT...LOC 2056Z 232DEG 30KT 4649 9310 4661 9421
STEWARTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
400 PM CDT MON JUL 11 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0302 PM HAIL DEERWOOD 46.47N 93.90W
07/11/2016 E1.00 INCH CROW WING MN PUBLIC
VIDEO OF QUARTER SIZED HAIL FALLING. TIME ESTIMATED BY
RADAR.
&&
WLPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
416 PM CDT MON JUL 11 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0317 PM TSTM WND DMG SANDSTONE 46.13N 92.86W
07/11/2016 PINE MN 911 CALL CENTER
TREES DOWNED IN SANDSTONE WHICH BROUGHT POWER LINES DOWN.
TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
&&
WLPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
423 PM CDT MON JUL 11 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0420 PM HEAVY RAIN 2 NNE BRAINERD 46.38N 94.18W
07/11/2016 M3.75 INCH CROW WING MN TRAINED SPOTTER
TOTAL PRECIPITATION SINCE MIDNIGHT. STILL RAINING AT THE
TIME OF THE REPORT.
&&
WLSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
436 PM CDT MON JUL 11 2016
MNZ037-038-WIZ001-006-007-112200-
CARLTON/SOUTH ST. LOUIS-PINE-DOUGLAS-WASHBURN-BURNETT-
436 PM CDT MON JUL 11 2016
...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT SOUTHEASTERN CARLTON...
NORTHERN PINE...NORTHEASTERN BURNETT...SOUTHERN DOUGLAS AND
NORTHWESTERN WASHBURN COUNTIES...
AT 436 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG A LINE EXTENDING
FROM NEAR HOLYOKE...TO 11 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FOXBORO...TO 6 MILES
EAST OF BRUNO...TO NEAR ASKOV...TO NEAR SANDSTONE...AND MOVING EAST
AT 30 MPH.
WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH
THESE STORMS.
THESE STORMS WILL BE NEAR...
HOLYOKE AROUND 440 PM CDT.
FOXBORO AROUND 445 PM CDT.
DUXBURY AROUND 455 PM CDT.
DAIRYLAND...CLOVERTON AND DANBURY AROUND 500 PM CDT.
OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE PATTISON STATE
PARK... LYMAN LAKE...SCOTTS
CORNER...NICKERSON...RIVERSIDE...PLEASANT VALLEY...
BELDEN...PATZAU...MARKVILLE AND CLOVERDALE.
SEEK SHELTER INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL
THESE STORMS PASS.
LAT...LON 4605 9305 4615 9292 4622 9277 4636 9263
4661 9250 4659 9169 4626 9176 4605 9203
4592 9242
TIME...MOT...LOC 2136Z 280DEG 25KT 4654 9237 4635 9241 4626 9254 4614
9269 4608 9288
G2SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
500 PM CDT MON JUL 11 2016
WIZ001-002-112245-
DOUGLAS-BAYFIELD-
500 PM CDT MON JUL 11 2016
...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT SOUTHWESTERN BAYFIELD
AND DOUGLAS COUNTIES...
AT 500 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM
NEAR OLIVER...TO NEAR DAIRYLAND...AND MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.
WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH...PENNY SIZE HAIL...TORRENTIAL RAINFALL...AND
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.
THESE STORMS WILL BE NEAR...
SUPERIOR AROUND 505 PM CDT.
WISCONSIN POINT AND SOUTH RANGE AROUND 510 PM CDT.
POPLAR IN DOUGLAS COUNTY AND GORDON AROUND 520 PM CDT.
MAPLE AND SOLON SPRINGS AROUND 525 PM CDT.
OULU AROUND 540 PM CDT.
BARNES AROUND 545 PM CDT.
OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE MIDDLE EAU CLAIRE
LAKE...PATTISON STATE PARK...LYMAN
LAKE...WENTWORTH...WAINO...CHAFFEY... PARK POINT...UPPER EAU CLAIRE
LAKE...CLOVERLAND AND BLUEBERRY.
SEEK SHELTER INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL
THESE STORMS PASS.
LAT...LON 4668 9220 4673 9205 4672 9204 4673 9204
4675 9199 4672 9195 4673 9180 4679 9159
4681 9147 4625 9145 4616 9217
TIME...MOT...LOC 2200Z 252DEG 35KT 4663 9212 4626 9211
DAPThe Duluth radar (KDLH), 62 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:44 UTC.
12 flash flood, 4 thunderstorm wind, 2 flood, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A couple dozen trees were down along Highway 27 about 2 or 3 miles south of the intersection with County Road B.
A few trees were blown down.
Several trees were blown down. The largest was 14 to 18 in diameter.
A large tree was blown down. Report forwarded by the media.
Flash flooding along South Fish Creek flooded the nearby stretch of Highway 137.
The Ashland County Sheriff Office reported nearly all roads across the city of Ashland were under water.
Flash flooding along the Denomie Creek washed out a portion of Highway 2.
Flash flooding along Trout Brook washed out the nearby stretch of Highway 13.
Flash flooding along Frog Creek washed out the nearby stretch of Highway 77.
The Sheriff office in Ashland County reported nearly every street in the city of Ashland was under water.
Water covered County Road B about 6 miles west of Pattison State Park.
There was flash flooding in Washburn with backups from storm drains in town. There were several inches of water on roadways.
Highway 61 was washed out due to flash flooding along Twentymile Creek.
Highway 61 was washed out due to flash flooding along Eighteenmile Creek.
Flash flooding along the Oronto and Parker Creeks damaged the infrastructure of Saxon Harbor and parts of the Saxon Harbor Campground. One man died from the flooding.
There was enough evidence to indicate a quasi-linear convective tornado developed over rural east-central Iron County, south of Van Buskirk, during the late evening. It heavily damaged a barn structure and a car, and it also damaged some homes and mangled some trees.
A sheriff deputy was rescued from Twentymile Creek near Mason, WI after he mistakenly drove his vehicle into a washed-out section of road caused by heavy rainfall across the region. The deputy clung to a tree using an emergency tourniquet to keep from being swept away. It took emergency personnel close to 4 hours to rescue the deputy. The deputy was rushed to the hospital where he was hospitalized for kidney failure and other life-threatening problems associated with clinging to the tree in the flood waters. The deputy has since made a full recovery and returned to duty later that month.
An 84-year-old Illinois man died when his car became partially submerged into floodwaters along a ditch along County Highway M, about 3 miles east of Cable. The man and his 84-year-old wife were attempting to turn around after encountering a washed out section of the Highway near the Namekagon River, but accidentally backed up into the flooded ditch. The man drowned, but a firefighter saved the wife.
An 82-year-old man from Marengo was found dead in his pickup truck in the flooded waters along the Marengo River near the Riemer Road Bridge west of Marengo. The exact circumstances of how, when, and where he died are not known, only that he was found a few days after the heavy rains some time early Thursday.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Iron | 2016-07-11 | 56 | Male | Unknown | Direct |
| Flood, Bayfield | 2016-07-12 | 84 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Flood, Ashland | 2016-07-14 | 82 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Wisconsin, 2016Warnings in Wisconsin, July 2016
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: 649128, 649127, 649121, 649122, 635883, 635692, 635694, 635891, 635892, 649314, 649315, 635682, 635693, 635695, 635674, 655864, 682564, 649245, 653540.