The National Weather Service in Milwaukee/Sullivan WI has issued a flood warning for Racine, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha counties as of Monday, Feb. 27.
The flood warning goes into account until 6:30 p.m. tonight as flooding caused by rain and snowmelt continues throughout the area.
Flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations is imminent or occurring.
Root River levels
According to NWS, flows in rivers will potentially increase quickly and reach critical levels during a flood warning.
“At 9.1 feet, this is the 50% chance (of a) flood, meaning there is a 50% chance in any given year of the river reaching this level. Floodwaters are over a baseball diamond near 6 Mile Road. There is flooding to lowland and agricultural land,” explains NWS in a weather alert.
The Root River is expected to rise above flood-stage levels (9.0 feet), in the late afternoon on Feb. 27, to a crest of 9.2 feet just after midnight. NWS explains that it will then fall below the flood stage early tomorrow afternoon.
This compares to a previous crest of 9.1 feet on June 21, 1997.
Flood warnings and tips:
Along with the following, learn more flood warning tips in this article by The Racine County Eye.
Tips to stay safe during a flood:
- Do not walk, swim or drive through flood waters.
- You can be swept off your feet in as little as six inches of water.
- Just six inches of water can stall your vehicle, and just one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away.
- Even trucks and SUVs can stall or become trapped in flooded areas.
- If your vehicle is trapped in rapidly moving water, stay inside; if water is rising inside the vehicle, seek refuge on the roof.
- Never drive around barricades; if a road is closed find a different route.
- Avoid underpasses, underground parking and basements.
- Stay off of bridges over fast-moving water.
- Listen to EAS, NOAA Weather Radio, or local alerting systems for current emergency information and instructions.
- If told to evacuate, do so immediately.
More safety tips are available from the National Safety Council and Ready.gov.
Weather
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