Flood — Clark, Wisconsin

2012-06-20 · near Tioga, Clark, Wisconsin

Event narrative

Three people were killed in two separate accidents when their vehicles fell into a 12 to 15 foot deep washout area. The washout occurred after rainfall amounts of 1.5 to 2 inches in a short amount of time caused Scott Creek to quickly rise. From damage photos, it appears the creek stayed within its banks, but the large volume of water moving through the creek washed out County Road M around a culvert designed for the creek to flow through. The people were killed as a result of injuries sustained in the crashes as the water had already receded by the time the accidents occurred.

Wider weather episode

Three people were killed in two separate accidents when they unknowingly drove their vehicles into a 12 to 15 foot deep washout area. The washout occurred southwest of Willard (Clark County) on County Highway M where it crossed Scott Creek. Between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain fell in a short time and the high water flow washed away the land around a culvert. The line of thunderstorms responsible for the heavy rain also produced isolated wind damage near Medford (Taylor County) where some trees and power poles were blown down. The thunderstorms developed along a cold front as it moved into north central Wisconsin during the late afternoon of June 20th.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (44.7084, -90.8001)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 390147. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.