Flash Flood in Grant County, Wisconsin

Flash flood waters backed up in town as debris blocked area bridges. The water was three to four feet deep in places and propane gas containers began floating on the Mississippi River. Property damage in town was extensive.

During the evening hours of July 17, thunderstorms began forming over parts of northeast Iowa. These storms repeatedly tracked across the same area near the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers during the early morning hours of July 18. This caused excessive rainfall with amounts totaling 7.31 inches at Prairie du Chien (Crawford County). Hardest hit by the flash flooding was the town of Bagley (Grant County), where nearly 400 homes were flooded, as debris consisting of mud, rocks and trees built up along area bridges. This allowed flood waters to rise to as much as four feet deep. Mud slides were also observed on many nearby county roads in the hilly terrain closer to the Mississippi River.