Continuous Storm Pattern Brings Flooding To Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio

A severe round of powerful thunderstorms rolled across the state of Wisconsin and Illinois, part of a continuous pattern for sever weather that has affected the area over the past 48 hours. The storms have led to overflowing rivers and streams to result in widespread flooding. Nearly a foot of rain has come down in some portions of Wisconsin over the weekend which has already resulted in serious flooding. Up to four more inches of rainfall could come down through Wednesday over much of the flood affected parts of the state. If that does happen, the ground simply cannot absorb more water which means very serious flash flooding can take place.

Landslides and flooding has closed down some major roadways in Crawford County in the southwestern portion of the Dairy State. Highway 61 in that county is covered in twenty-five feet high mud that stretches a couple hundred yards long. Elsewhere, mudslides and debris have closed down highways in the Boscobel area of Crawford County. The National Weather Service has a flash flood warning in effect for Crawford County as well as for six other southwestern Wisconsin counties.

Emergency officials said Tuesday that flood damages in Grant County are already exceeding $2 million in repairs. That total doesn’t yet include the very hard hit city of Boscobel. That community had about 500 homes flooded which is about half of all the homes in the town. Both local and county aide agencies are now available to help flood victims of Boscobel find places to live. In some cases, affected homeowners are facing spending several weeks in shelters or other places of residence due to extensive home flooding. Fire departments from the area are also stepping in to help homeowners pump standing water out of their basements. The city of Boscobel is asking for volunteers to help flood victims clean up the mess left behind from the recent storms.

The National Weather Service said early Wednesday that more storms are headed for the already hard-hit areas of Wisconsin. There is a significant chance of heavy rain, damaging wind, hail and maybe even tornadoes for the state through Wednesday. Flash flood watches are therefore in effect for numerous counties in the southwestern portion of the state. Thunderstorms are also expected to cause more flooding problems in the state of Iowa and in particular, very hilly areas where rushing water can quickly trigger flash floods.

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