REPORT #4 from WI Emergency Ops Ctr.

Heavy weekend rains have caused several rivers and creeks to rise in southern Wisconsin. Jackson, LaCrosse, Trempealeau,
Waushara, Winnebago and Green Lake Counties are all under a flood warning.

On Sunday, several areas received more than two inches of rain. The National Weather Service reported that Milwaukee set a new daily record for precipitation with a total of 2.45 inches.

This week, there is a chance for two additional systems to move across Wisconsin. The first system will cause afternoon showers on Tuesday.

However, the storms are expected to bring less than an inch of rain.

Here is the latest update of storm damage from the past 5 days:
Green Lake County - As of 9:00 a.m., the flood stage on the Fox River at Berlin was at 14.17 feet. Flood stage is 13 feet. The river is expected to crest Wednesday morning between 14.6-15.2 feet which could cause moderate flooding.

Green Lake County Emergency Management officials report they began filling sand bags yesterday and placing them in the downtown area. Sand bags are also available to residents.

Green Lake County Sheriff's Department and the City of Berlin have been notifying residents of the potential flood threat.

There have been no evacuations or shelters open, however the Red Cross is monitoring the situation and provided over 100 meals yesterday to volunteers filling sand bags. In addition, the Red Cross has prepositioned flood clean up kits in Berlin.

Winnebago County - Winnebago County Emergency Management Director was in Eureka and Omro to assess the potential Fox River flood situation. Traditionally, flooding in that area occurs two days after flooding in Berlin.

The City of Omro is also monitoring the situation and has provided sand bags to Eureka as well.

Clean up continues from last week's heavy rain that caused flash flooding in the Oshkosh area. Roughly 100 homeowners contacted area insurance companies regarding flood damage. The Red Cross has provided 40 flood clean up kits to flood victims.

In addition, flooding was reported at Hoffmaster, Inc. in the manufacturing area and offices. Two other businesses in the Ohio and Knapp Street areas also had flooding. Lightning is being blamed for causing a barn fire in Utica that killed 13 horses.

Marquette County – Marquette County Emergency Management reports minor issues as a result of the high water levels along the Fox River. Emergency management is setting up a sand bag location in the City of Montello to assist residents.

Waushara County – The Waushara County Emergency Management Director has been monitoring the area that is vulnerable to flooding from the Fox River and has been in contact with area residents. So far, only one structure may be impacted.

Trempealeau County - Clean up continued throughout the weekend in the community of Blair following last week's storm. Classes resumed today at the Blair-Taylor Elementary and High Schools after being closed for two days due to roof damage caused by the storm. School officials are concerned that rain leaking through the roof may also caused damage to the gym floor.

Juneau County – A communications tower in Juneau County was struck by lightning on Sunday. Clark County Emergency Management assisted with mutual aid by providing a mobile tower to the Juneau County site.

Outagamie County - Weiler Road in the town of Buchanan is closed due to flood waters and damage.
Milwaukee County - Classes were cancelled today at St. Thomas More High School because of a flooded basement. School workers are cleaning up the water from Sunday's storms. A home in Franklin was hit by lightning.

Black River - The Black River is rising in Trempealeau and Jackson Counties but it is expected to cause only minor problems.
No severe weather is expected the next few days. No specific requests for assistance have been made of the State. Wisconsin Emergency Management does have roughly 500,000 sand bags located at multiple sites and are ready if needed. WEM will continue to monitor the situation.

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REPORT #3 from WI Emergency Ops Ctr.

Cleanup continues today following strong winds and flash flooding that occurred Wednesday night and Thursday across West Central and East Central Wisconsin.

Dunn County - Friday morning, the Dunn County Sheriff's Department recovered the body of a Minnesota man who had been turkey hunting near the Town of Tiffany. He had been missing since Thursday.

Officials reported that his body was found under a large tree top that reportedly broke off during the storm and fell directly onto him. There have been no other fatalities or injuries reported as a result of the storms.

Trempealeau County - Clean up and repairs continue following the severe storm that hit the Trempealeau and Blair areas. Damage to the Blair-Taylor Elementary and High Schools forced the district to cancel classes today until repairs could be made to the roofs. Officials are hopeful to hold classes again on Monday.

Winnebago & Calumet Counties - The Northeast Wisconsin Red Cross chapter has distributed 43 flood cleanup kits to flood victims in Winnebago and Calumet Counties.

More than four inches of rain fell Wednesday night causing flash flooding. At the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh - the Halsey Science Center lecture halls remained closed due to damage caused by flooding. Several other buildings also sustained minor flood damage on campus but most classes returned to normal schedule.

Other Damage Reports - The Department of Natural Resources has closed the family campground at High Cliff State Park on Lake Winnebago in Calumet County due to flooding. The park will remain closed through Sunday.

No severe weather is expected the next few days. No specific requests for assistance have been made of the State. Wisconsin Emergency Management will continue to monitor the situation.

Situation Report #2 on Severe Weather

A strong line of thunderstorms with significant wind and rainfall occurred overnight across Wisconsin.

Buffalo County: Reports of trees and power lines down with washed debris on some roadways.

Calumet County: Many roads are impassible due to flood waters. Flooding is severe in the Village of Hilbert with at least a dozen homes affected.

Jackson County: Village of Taylor lost power and reports tree branches down.

Manitowoc County: The Town of Rockwood has shut down access to the town because of high flood waters.

Trempealeau County: Crews are restoring power to residents in Blair. Trees and power lines were knocked down overnight by possible straight line winds and hail. 25 residents from a trailer park found shelter in the Blair-Taylor High School when the winds damaged several homes or moved some off their foundations. Arcadia and Whitehall also had minor tree damage.

Winnebago County: The Department of Transportation (WisDOT) reports that southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 41 just north of the Fond du Lac County border are blocked due to flooding. The northbound lanes are now open. Also Highway 21 in Omro is now open after flooding blocked the road in both directions earlier this morning. Winnebago County Emergency Management says some basement flooding is being reported.

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NEW INFORMATION FROM THURSDAY MORNING
Blair, Wis. (WEAU)-A line of storms raced through parts of our area late Wednesday into Thursday morning, leaving a lot of damage behind.

The damage forced the closure of the Blair-Taylor School District Thursday.

WEAU sent reporting teams to Arcadia and Blair during the overnight hours.

Our reporters say several mobile homes were damaged at the Arcadia Trailer Park. About 30 homes were affected. Everything from blown out windows to skirting around the bottom of trailers were blown off.

The Arcadia Fire Chief said, “There's probably 30 trailers out here with hail.”

Near Alma, a doppler-indicated tornado placed part of Buffalo County under a tornado warning during a portion of the 9 p.m. hour on Wednesday. It's unclear if a tornado actually touched down at this time.

It appears the Blair area was hardest hit.

Things came to a standstill in Blair overnight, as crews began shutting down entrances to the city. Firefighters scrambled, trying to get a head start on clean up. Trees and power lines down, houses hit hard by hail. Much of it was not yet visible in the middle of the night.

Dan Schreiner with Trempealeau County Emergency Management said, “Most of the trees that I saw had some issues like weakness in the tree, but there are trees that looked pretty sound that are tipped over as well.”

Back in Blair, a makeshift shelter was put together down the road at the Blair-Taylor high school for those who need it. WEAU spoke to Trempealeau County's Emergency Management Director. He said that during the night, about 25 people went to the school for shelter initially. A short time later, it had cleared out and only about a half dozen people remained.

Sherri Scott, who lives in the area, waited to ride out the storm. She says there's a lot of damage near her apartment.

“Some trees that are down, a pine tree down and a major tree almost falling into another major tree in our front yard,” said Scott.”

People living in these areas aren’t sure what things will look like in the morning. They are just trying to bring a sense of humor to a messy situation.

“I told these guys you better lay down in case we have to work tomorrow.”

Stay with WEAU.com and WEAU 13 News for continuing coverage.