Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Dane County Flooding

It's a terrible experience to watch the water rise as rain just keeps falling. You can't do anything to make it stop. You're completely powerless.

From the Wisconsin State Journal:

An epic rainfall swept one man to his death, washed out bridges, swamped homes, cars and businesses, and marooned dozens of shoppers overnight at a Middleton discount store Monday.

The flash floods took many by surprise, forcing emergency responders and ordinary citizens into extraordinary efforts to rescue those caught in the rushing water.

“In my mind, last night was nothing but heroes working every single moment to save lives,” Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney said Tuesday.

The National Weather Service estimated 15.33 inches of rain fell in Cross Plains which, if confirmed, would be the heaviest rainfall for a 24-hour period ever recorded in Wisconsin. The official record for rainfall over 24 hours was 11.72 inches near Mellen in June 1946.

Madison officially recorded 3.92 inches of rain at the Dane County Regional Airport on the North Side, a record for Aug. 20, though rain continued to fall after midnight.

The deluge caused widespread flooding in Mazomanie and Cross Plains, washed out a highway bridge in Black Earth as well as a nearby railroad bridge and closed roads throughout southern Wisconsin.






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