Overview
- A Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District gauge at James Madison High School measured 14.55 inches from 5 p.m. Aug. 9 to 1:50 p.m. Aug. 10, with most falling between 6 p.m. and 3 a.m. at rates of 1 to 3 inches per hour.
- The State Climate Extremes Committee of NWS, the Wisconsin State Climatology Office, the Midwestern Regional Climate Center, and NOAA’s NCEI verified the record after a data review, station comparisons, and an on-site inspection.
- The confirmation establishes a new statewide 24-hour precipitation record, topping the 11.72 inches recorded near Mellen on June 24, 1946.
- A stalled front and a low-level jet produced repeated, training thunderstorms that focused extreme rainfall over southeast Wisconsin.
- Flooding damaged roads, homes, and businesses, stranded vehicles, and led to numerous water rescues, and FEMA reported nearly $92 million distributed to survivors by October.