People in southeastern Wisconsin woke up to extreme flooding Sunday after heavy rain storms Saturday night and Sunday morning.
The National Weather Service issued a series of flash flood warnings for areas around metro Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin. NWS urged people to “turn around, don’t drown” if they encounter flooded roads.
Rain gauge data from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) shows between about 4 and 14 inches of rain fell Saturday and Sunday in locations around Milwaukee County.
The rain continued into Sunday. At about 8 a.m., NWS said "torrential downpours” were moving west and northwest of the Milwaukee metro area.
The Wisconsin State Fair closed early Saturday night due to the weather, and remains closed Sunday. Photos shared on social media show extensive flooding at the fairgrounds.
MMSD said it started a combined sewer overflow at around 9:55 p.m. Saturday. It’s a last resort to prevent sewage from backing up into basements during heavy rain.
MMSD urged residents to help prevent basement backups by using less water, including waiting to wash dishes and laundry, and taking a shorter showers.
MMSD cautioned residents with flooded basements to not walk through the water, but to wait for it to drain or to call a qualified electrician to disconnect their power before entering the flooded area. If your basement is flooded, MMSD recommends calling your local public works department to report the problem and your home or renter’s insurance.
To contact MMSD, call (414) 272-5100 or fill out the wet basement form.
The City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works said Sunday morning that crews “are working nonstop assessing damage and clearing flooded areas.” You can report flooding, downed trees, and stranded vehicles to the city by calling 414-286-CITY.
Thousands of We Energies customers in southeastern Wisconsin were without power Sunday morning due to the storms. As of 9:30 a.m., We Energies reported about 29,000 customers in Milwaukee County and about 11,000 in Waukesha County were without power.
