Heavy Rain in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin

A fatal accident occurred during a thunderstorm with heavy rain south of Whitehall. Authorities believe weather was a factor in the head-on two vehicle crash. One person was killed with the other driver sustaining serious injuries.

Several rounds of thunderstorms moved across western Wisconsin during the late evening of July 18th into the early morning hours of July 19th. As the initial round of storms moved through, a brief tornado touched down northeast of Westby (Vernon County). The tornado destroyed a barn, flipped a trailer and damaged numerous trees. A fatal accident occurred near Whitehall (Trempealeau County) during the storms. Authorities indicated that weather was likely a factor in a head-on two vehicle crash. Rainfall totals from the storms ranged from 3 to 5 inches across portions of La Crosse, Monroe and Vernon Counties that resulted in some flash flooding. Campers had to be evacuated from the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. Flood waters covered County Road P north of Coon Valley (Vernon County) and east of Westby (Vernon County) where a mudslide also occurred. U.S. Highway 14 was closed near Coon Valley where flood waters from Coon Creek covered the road. The initial storms also produced some 60 mph wind gusts near Mindoro (La Crosse County) and Tomah (Monroe County) and blew down trees near Barre Mills (La Crosse County).