Flash Flood in Columbia County, Wisconsin

Flash Flood June 8, 2008 · Columbia County, Wisconsin

$15.7M

Damage as recorded

$40.0M

Crop damage

Where the report was made, with tornadoes recorded within 15 miles over the years.

What the National Weather Service wrote

Heavy rains resulted in a flash flood event that washed out some raods and gravel shoulders in the western part of the county. This event was one of 3 flash flood events over parts of Columbia County on 3 separate days. Two started on June 7th, and one on June 8th. In all 3 flash flood events, home and business damage was reported, and there was crop damage. Some farm fields remained flooded into early July. It was nearly impossible to break down the damages by flash flood. Therefore, the collective damage breakdown for these events is provided in this June 8th flash flood StormData entry for Columbia County.

The breakdown for residential home losses were: over 1500 minimally affected, 45 with minor damage, 26 with major damage, and 5 destroyed (total of $10 million for home losses). Total business losses were about $2 million. Crop losses were estimated at about $40 million. Public sector damage was about $3.66 million. There were several roads and bridges that sustained damage.

The wider storm

A slow-moving surface boundary, nearly parallel with the mid-level flow affected southern Wisconsin during the period of June 7th through June 9th. A strengthening low-level jet and strong moisture advection produced several rounds of thunderstorms during the period in the vicinity of this boundary. The atmosphere was very moist with precipitable water values around 2 inches. Low to mid-level wind flow supported training of flood-producing thunderstorms. A weak cool front pushed through southern Wisconsin late on the 8th/early on the 9th, finally ending the heavy rainfall.

The heavy rain axis for June 7-9th ran from Sauk County southeast to Milwaukee County, where generally 6 to 9 inches fell on a ground that was totally saturated due to record-setting winter snowfalls and a wet April, 2008. Several locations topped 10 inches, and Watertown (Jefferson Co.) came in with 13.5 inches, 11.35 inches was measured in Oak Creek (Milwaukee Co.), and Elm Grove in Waukesha County picked up 10.8 inches.

Began near Okee (43.2988, -89.6503).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 113110. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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