COLUMBIA COUNTY: More flooding, two possible tornadoes

Thursday's heavy rains flooded roads and inundated basements throughout the county, and two possible tornadoes were sighted but no one was reported hurt.

"There's a lot of roads that are going to need to be repaired," said Patrick Beghin, the county's emergency management director.

The possible tornadoes were reported near Columbus and Wyocena. Throughout the county, vehicles were submerged and at least two slid into water, he said.
Thursday's "rain couldn't have come at a worse time after all the rain we had recently," Beghin said.

Pam Oxman of the Columbia County Red Cross, said she set up a shelter at Portage City Hall. Mayor Ken Jahn said the city faced the same continued problems — flooding, waterlogged roads and clogged culverts.

Sandbags at an assisted-living center in Pardeeville collapsed, forcing the evacuation of eight people to the community's EMS building, Beghin said.

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were in the county Thursday to assess damage from the weekend's storms, Beghin said. 

Help numbers: Public health at 608-742-9274; Emergency Management at 608-742-4166; Sheriff's Office at 608-742-4166.

CRAWFORD COUNTY: Storms mostly miss county

Crawford County was spared another hit Thursday as severe weather passed to the south, the Crawford County Sheriff's Department reported. The county received some rain, but conditions remained relatively calm.

Help numbers: Call 211 to report damage.
In Gays Mills, contact the emergency operations center at Gays Mills Fire Station, Highway 131 at Cedar St.
In Soldiers Grove, contact the emergency operations center at 608-624-5794.

DANE COUNTY: Storms bring pair of tornadoes

There were reports of two funnel clouds touching down Thursday evening in Dane County, as well as power lines down in Oregon and electricity out in Belleville as waves of severe storm rolled through the southern part of the county.

Between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., there were seven tornado warnings issued, emergency management spokesman J. McLellan said Thursday. Rainfall varied between half an inch to 2.5 inches around the county.

The National Weather Service reported a tornado likely touched down between Cambridge and Stoughton at 6:57 p.m. and another one likely touched down several miles southwest of Cambridge at 6:19 p.m. No injuries were reported Thursday night.

The county closed Highway 14 at Bigelow Road in addition to existing closures at Highway W south of Utica and Highway Y between Fourth and Hudson streets in Mazomanie.

Help numbers: In Madison call 608-266-4430. In other municipalities, residents should call their local government.

DODGE COUNTY: Three tornadoes sighted, no one hurt

Early Thursday, dams were working and water was starting to recede, but Thursday afternoon's storms brought reports of more than 5 inches of rain in northern parts of the county. Randolph, Fox Lake and Waupon were pumping water.

At least three tornadoes were sighted, with one touching down in the town of Herman at 6:11 p.m. and one two miles east of Mayville at 6:16 p.m. No damage was reported as of 9 p.m. Thursday.

Waupun was helping conduct voluntary evacuations to Waupun High School. Beaver Dam was sandbagging Haskell Street and assessing the situation as water rose quickly.

As of 9 p.m., there were 85 roads closed and residents were advised to stay off roads throughout the night.
Help numbers: Emergency Management at 920-386-4060. Online: www.co.dodge.wi.us.

GRANT COUNTY: Potosi, Lancaster, Livingston pounded

A state of emergency was declared in Grant County after heavy rains and at least one tornado Thursday afternoon destroyed four homes and caused major damage in many others.

Potosi and Livingston and the city of Lancaster took the brunt of Thursday's storm, with the water several feet deep in many locations, according to the county's Emergency Management Office.

Two homes in Potosi and one in Stitzer were destroyed after being inundated with several feet of water following flash floods, said Julie Loeffelholz of Grant County Emergency Managment. A trailer home southwest of Lancaster also was destroyed by a tornado, she said.

A tornado was reported in Grant County near Union, authorities said. A weather spotter in his car was blown off the road, the National Weather Service said.

A fire broke out that responders from nearby Lancaster couldn't reach because roads were washed out, Platteville City Manager Dave Berner said. The family living there was safe, he said.

The National Weather Service said the Grant River rose 8 feet in two hours at Burton. "We got creeks that are rivers and fields that are lakes now," said resident Jim Weber. "You couldn't even see the road."

A shelter was open in Lancaster in the Youth and Agriculture Building, and the Red Cross was providing aid.

As of 5 p.m., Highway 81 between Platteville and Lancaster and Highway 133 in Potosi were among the roads that were closed. More than 20 town roads also were closed.

Help number: Grant County Emergency Management Department at 608-723-7171.

GREEN COUNTY: Three tornadoes reported, no damage

Three tornadoes were reported in Green County, but no damage or injuries were reported.

The Sheriff's Department said a few roads were flooded near Brodhead, though not to the extent of other counties.

Tornadoes were reported south of Dayton, south of Brooklyn and southwest of Monticello. None was confirmed by law enforcement, fire officials or trained spotters, but warnings were issued. A spokesman for the Green County Sheriff's Office said.

Help numbers: For all questions and damage reports, call Green County Emergency Management at 608-328-9416.

IOWA COUNTY: Avoca evacuated due to flooding

Officials evacuated the village of Avoca on Thursday night as it flooded with water from the Wisconsin River.
The village of about 615 people is in the northwestern corner of Iowa County along Highway 133 and just south of the Wisconsin River.

The Iowa County Sheriff's Office reported high water and flooding throughout the county but no injuries.
Some of the hardest-hit areas in southern Wisconsin were between Lancaster, in Green County, and Avoca, the weather service said. "In that hilly country that amount of rain just causes all kinds of issues," said weather service meteorologist Mike Welvaert.

Help number: Emergency management at 608-935-0329.

JEFFERSON COUNTY: Residents brace for rough weekend

Residents here fought floodwaters Thursday even as they braced for them to rise higher.

In Fort Atkinson, officials expect the Rock River to rise another 8 to 9 inches over the weekend, possibly closing more streets and putting further strain on the sewer system. This week's rain has already put most of the city's river walk under water.

"Right now, we're handling the water fairly well," said city engineer Jeff Wood.

Authorities Thursday evacuated a mobile home park in the town of Aztalan — 40 to 50 people in all — and homes in Hubbleton near Waterloo as well as in Jefferson and Fort Atkinson, state Emergency Operations Center spokesman David Carlson said. 

The westbound lanes of Interstate 94 between Johnson Creek and Lake Mills were closed again Thursday afternoon as the Rock and Crawfish rivers rose. Numerous streets and roads were closed in and around Fort Atkinson, Jefferson and Waterloo and in the towns of Ixonia, Oakland and Koshkonong.

A Red Cross shelter opened Thursday at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1660 Endl Blvd. in Fort Atkinson. 
More than 100,000 sandbags have been distributed, with another 70,000 expected to arrive today.

Help numbers: Jefferson County Emergency Management at 920-674-7450; Jefferson County Sheriff's Office at 920-674-7310; road closings at 920-674-8648. Online: www.co.jefferson.wi.us

LAFAYETTE COUNTY: Pecatonica River rises again

While portions of Lafayette County got pelted with rain Thursday afternoon, most of the county escaped significant damage. The Pecatonica River, which had receded slightly the past two days, was reported back on its way up.

In heavily soaked Argyle, village workers were trying to restore power Thursday night, said Randy Martin, electric utility manager. By 8 p.m. power was back on for the majority of the village customers.

RICHLAND COUNTY: Water rises again after rains

In Richland County, flood waters that had started to recede were rising again with Thursday's rains, according to Bob Naegely with the county's emergency government.

"A lot of stuff that had flooded before is coming back up,'' Naegely said. He added that some residents were evacuated from Lone Rock early Thursday evening. Lone Rock is on the Wisconsin River.

"There are flooding problems all over,'' Naegely said.

Help numbers: Public health at 608-647-8564, emergency operations at 608-647-8187. To report damage, call 608-647-8962.

ROCK COUNTY: Rock, Sugar rivers above flood stage

The Rock River flowed above flood stage in several communities Thursday, overtopping a dam and flooding homes.

In Indianford, the river had risen 6 inches in three hours Thursday afternoon, said Dan McKaig, who lives along the river there. The river had risen 3 to 4 feet since Tuesday and was spilling over the dam, flooding some homes and threatening to flood others. "It's never been this bad," McKaig said.

A statement from the Sheriff's Office on Thursday said the Rock River was above flood stage at other communities, including Newville and Afton. The Sugar River was also above flood stage in the town of Avon. Roads were being closed around the county due to the flooding.

Shelley Schmidt, supervisor of the Rock County Communications Center, said Thursday night she'd received unconfirmed reports of funnel clouds in the county but no reports of tornado touchdowns or wind damage.

Help numbers: Rock County Communications Center at 608-757-2244 and the county Emergency Management center at 608-758-8440.

SAUK COUNTY: Highway 12 washed out by floodwaters

Sauk County, already awash in floodwater, was pounded by more torrential rains late Thursday, adding to the rushing currents causing problems with highways, bridges and dams throughout the region.

Most pressing in the late afternoon was the washout of a section of Highway 12 between Baraboo and Sauk City near the Badger Army Ammunition Plant. Traffic in both directions slowed to a crawl as floodwaters coursed across the highway and crumbled pavement in some spots.

The Original Wisconsin Ducks were called into action, helping rescue people from homes and businesses in Baraboo. The World War II-era amphibious vehicles each can carry about 20 people.

Sauk County officials report they have so far tallied nearly $15 million in damage — $14 million of it to private residences — from this week's flooding, but count themselves fortunate there have been no serious injuries or deaths.

Because the flooding blocks access to many areas where homes, businesses and infrastructure are damaged, the estimate is "a small fraction" of what the final damage toll will be, said Sauk County Emergency Management Director Jeff Jelinek. He added that the county's dams are holding up.

On Wednesday night, shelters in Reedsburg and La Valle housed 11 people.

A Red Cross shelter was opened in Baraboo and a shelter in Sauk City requested 50 cots, blankets and pillows, said state Emergency Operations Center spokesman David Carlson.

Help number: Emergency Management at 608-355-3200. Links with flood information can be found at the Sauk County government Web site: www.co.sauk.wi.us.

VERNON COUNTY: Reprieve from more significant rains

Vernon County also got a reprieve today, as severe weather hit farther south, the Vernon County Sheriff's Department reported.

Help number: Emergency management at 608-637-5267.

— State Journal staff, wire services