During the first half of June 2008, seven southern counties received more than a foot of rainfall, setting daily precipitation records in 114 Wisconsin cities and towns. The town of Ontario received more the 6 inches on June 8, and Baraboo more than 17 inches during the month. Unfortunately, record snowfalls the previous winter had left historic high streamflows across much of the state. The combination led to flooding of historic proportions in the watersheds of the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers.

Lake Delton, in the Wisconsin Dells, breached its dam and emptied into the nearby Wisconsin River on the 9th, sweeping away three homes and part of a highway. The government declared 31 counties disaster areas; more than 40,000 homes and 5,000 businesses were damaged. State officials estimated the total damage at more than $1.2 billion. 

Flood waters surrounding Rock Springs LARC river station.	Flooding in Rock Springs, WI

(U.S. Geological Survey. "Flooding in the Midwest, June 2008" and "Record Rains during the First Half of June 2008"; Capital Times, Dec. 3, 2008; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sept. 18, 2008).

An unusually snowy winter was followed by two to three times the normal rainfall between January and July: 20-40 inches, in many places in the Upper Mississippi Valley. When 2 to 7 inches of rain fell on June 17-18, every major river in Wisconsin flooded; 20 dams were over topped, broken, or washed away. Crop and soil damage in Wisconsin topped $800 million, residential damage totaled $46 million, and business losses were estimated at $31 million. The federal government declared 46 of the state's 72 counties disaster areas. (Wis. DNR, Bureau of Water Regulation & Zoning. The Floods of 1993: The Wisconsin Experience (Madison, Dec. 1993).

On September 11, 1884, a 27-foot flood carried away houses and all the bridges in Eau Claire. The total loss in the Eau Claire Valley was placed at $1.5 million and more than 3,000 people were left homeless. Damage extended from Chippewa Falls all the way to Durand. (Chicago Tribune, Sept. 11 and 13, 1884)
 

In early October 1911, heavy rains filled the upstream tributaries to the Black River, and near dawn on Oct. 6, two dams above Black River Falls gave way. The river rose 20 feet over its already high level and rushed through city all day. By nightfall, 85 percent of the business district had been washed downstream; 80 buildings and 42 acres of land, including entire hillside neighborhoods, were swept away. Miraculously, no one was killed, but only 14 structures remained in the downtown and damages were estimated at $2 million. (Olson, Ann Marie. Black Friday (Black River Falls, Wis.: Block Print, 1987)

On May 31, the worst flood in the town's history caused damage estimated at half a million dollars when Bear Creek jumped its banks after torrential rains. Homes and businesses were inundated 3-4 feet deep, bridges were washed out, and roads destroyed. In addition, water mains broke, which not only reduced the water supply but contaminated water still available. At least one person drowned, and damages were estimated at $250,000 within the city and an equal amount in surrounding areas. (Wisconsin Centennial Story of Disasters and Other Unfortunate Events, Madison, 1948

Learn More:

• Record Flooding over Southern Wisconsin