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Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave has declared a state of emergency for Racine County after several thunderstorms moved through the area Wednesday morning dumping several inches of rain.

More rain is expected Wednesday afternoon, which is a continued cause for concern with the Root and Fox rivers. At 9 a.m. Wednesday the Root River was at 4 feet with the flood stage at 7 feet. A flood warning has been issued until 4 p.m. Wednesday for the Fox River, which was at 12.8 feet at 9 a.m. The flood stage for the Fox River in Burlington is at 11 feet and it is expected to crest sometime on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

“If those rivers do crest, we need to proactive. The Sheriff has put some plans in place to hopefully prevent that,” Delagrave said.

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UPDATE 9:32 a.m.: The Racine County Joint Dispatch Center had phone problems in their main call center and the dispatchers are now in the back up center.

ORIGINAL STORY: Over 3,000 We Energies customers are without power after a thunderstorm hit Racine County Wednesday morning.

Amtrack has also cancelled service from Milwaukee to Chicago at 9 a.m. because of the flooding in Kenosha and Lake counties, according to the Associated Press. Law enforcement officials are responding to numerous calls of downed power lines and blown transformers.

A number of roads have been closed by the Racine County Sheriff’s Department, including:

  • State Highway 20/Washington Ave is closed east bound at State Highway 75/ N. Beaumont Ave
  • Vandenboom Road is closed from State Highway 11/Durand Ave to the Racine County Line
  • Highway J/ English Settlement Ave is closed between Highway 11 and Mt. Tom Road/312 th Ave
  • Highway 11/Durand Ave is closed between 59 th Dr. and 67 th Dr. (east of Union Grove)
  • Highway 11 west of Highway 75 by the Kansasville Fire Department
  • Highway B from Highway 11 to the Kenosha County line
  • Interstate 94 southbound at the KR off ramp
  • West Frontage Road from Highwa 11 to KR
  • East Frontage Road from Braun Road to Highway KR
  • Highway 11 at West Frontage Road to 59th Drive
  • Willow Road from 16th Street to Highway 11
  • 90th Street from Braun Road to KR.

A flash flood watch remains in effect until 4 p.m. as one more round of rain is expected, according to the National Weather Service.

“So the main threat with these morning storms will be heavy rainfall and subsequent flash flooding,” officials said.

A second round of rain is also headed towards Racine County this afternoon and into the evening. Those storms have the potential to be “severe with damaging winds and large hail being the primary threats.”

This could also make conditions favorable for a “tornado or two,”  and the heat index is expected to climb into the 90s, the weather statement reads.

Denise Lockwood has an extensive background in traditional and non-traditional media. She has written for Patch.com, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine and the Kenosha News.