Flash Flood — Washburn, Wisconsin

2025-07-04 · near Shell Lake, Washburn, Wisconsin

Event narrative

A video was received County Highway B partially washed out leaving only a thin layer of pavement on one half of the road where it passed over a culvert. Other washouts and closures were reported nearby in multiple locations by the Shell Lake Fire Department.

Wider weather episode

A warm front lifted across northwestern Wisconsin the morning of the 4th bringing a very warm and humid airmass to the region. Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours with a few being severe across Burnett and Washburn counties. Sporadic wind damage to trees was reported along with some marginally severe hail. Areas just west of the town of Shell Lake in Bashaw Township in Washburn County saw extensive damage due to flash flooding caused by slow moving storms with very heavy rainfall. Numerous roads and culverts in the area were completely washed out and repairs were not completely for 2 to 3 weeks in some cases due to the extent of the damage.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (45.7500, -91.9700)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1280767. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.