6-19-14 weather update

Weather Update: Cleanup continues this afternoon from this morning’s storms that hit southern Wisconsin. Early this morning a cluster of showers and thunderstorms developed west of I-35. The majority of the winds produced were 40 to 55 mph at the most, but with moist soils, some of these winds knocked down trees and power lines.
Wednesday Storm Damage: The National Weather Service has confirmed it was straight line winds or a microburst from a thunderstorm that occurred in the Sun Prairie and Cottage Grove areas this morning. Dane County Emergency Management reported trees on five vehicles and five homes in Sun Prairie. The City of Milwaukee reports 80 damaged trees. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) initiated overflows early Wednesday in order to prevent basement back-ups. All Black River State Forest ATV and UTV trials, along with Jackson County Trails are temporarily closed due to the heavy rains.
Tuesday Storm Damage Update: Officials at Country View Elementary School estimate the cost to repair storm damage repair will be between $3 million and $4 million. Contractors have already begun the clean-up process and hope to have repairs completed by the first day of school on September 2^nd.
Power Outages: As a result of this morning’s storms, more than 17,000 customers were without power.   Numbers are steadily dropping as crews work to restore power. Currently about 9,000 customers are without power – mainly in the Madison area.

Flooding: . Two rounds of very heavy rain affected a stretch from Trempealeau county eastward through northern Adams county, prompting flash flood warnings. Those warnings have expired.

Looking Ahead: The National Weather Service forecasts another round of strong to severe storms to move across Wisconsin during the mid-evening and overnight hours.   Additional rounds of thunderstorms could bring heavy rain and a risk of flash flooding. A Flash Flood Watch is in effect in western and south central Wisconsin until Thursday morning. Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) will monitor state lakes, rivers and streams carefully over the next several days. WEM has received no requests for assistance but will stay in contact with our county and tribal emergency management partners across the state.