The National Weather Service has issued multiple flood warnings and a flood watch across Wisconsin as rivers run high, and the phrase flash flood warning appears as a focus amid the alerts, according to NWS reports.
At the Kickapoo River at Steuben the NWS reported the stage at 11.5 feet late Friday, with bankfull at 10.0 feet and flood stage at 12.0 feet. Forecasters expect the river to rise above flood stage early Sunday morning and crest near 12.1 feet before falling below flood stage by Sunday evening, a level comparable to a previous crest near 12.2 feet in 2008.
The Black River near Galesville reached 12.6 feet late Friday, above a 10.0 foot bankfull and just over the 12.0 foot flood stage, and NWS forecasts show the river falling below flood stage by tomorrow and continuing to decline later in the week. The Yellow River at Necedah reported a stage near 17.6 feet late Friday, with bankfull at 13.0 feet and flood stage at 15.0 feet, and NWS described moderate flooding that is expected to ease through the middle of the week.
At Castle Rock Dam on the Wisconsin River NWS observed flow at 30,443 cubic feet per second late Friday, above the 30,000 cfs threshold associated with localized downstream flooding. Forecasts show the flow falling below that threshold briefly before rising again above flood flow late in the weekend and then receding early the following week. The NWS also extended a flood watch for the Mississippi River at McGregor, noting the stage was 13.1 feet late Friday and that flood stage near 16.0 feet could be reached late Monday morning.
Local Impacts And Precautions
Excessive runoff in the Lemonweir River basin has already flooded low lying areas and closed numerous county roads in Juneau County, with locations such as Mauston, Oakdale and New Lisbon affected, the NWS reported. Monroe County emergency management similarly reported flooding and county road closures in areas including Wyeville.
Portage County officials warned of lowland flooding in wooded areas along the Wisconsin River, noting the flood stage below the Stevens Point dam is 1,076 feet and flows are exceeding that benchmark this morning. The advisory warns that floodwaters may approach homes on Park Drive west of Plover and urges residents to avoid flooded roadways, use caution near riverbanks and avoid boating. For assistance the Portage County Communications Center number is 715-346-1400 and 911 is the emergency contact.
Additional local impacts include possible closures or gate operations on the County Road VV bridge over the Black River and the possibility of water beginning to go over roads at McGregor when the Mississippi reaches near 16.5 feet, including part of Highway C near Highway 18, according to NWS guidance.
