Severe thunderstorms led to a levee breach and flash flooding in Manawa, Wisconsin, forcing evacuations and road closures. Read about the impact and ongoing weather concerns.
Bollywood Fever: Floodwaters burst through a levee in Manawa, Wisconsin, during severe thunderstorms on Friday, prompting evacuations and road closures, according to local officials.
A small cluster of thunderstorms lingered over Manawa and the surrounding area on Friday morning, dumping more than 5½ inches of rain over approximately four hours, as reported by Kurt Kotenberg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Green Bay. This intense rainfall resulted in flash flooding, and emergency crews noticed the ground near the Manawa dam eroding, leading to the evacuation of residents downstream.
The evacuees were sheltered in the city’s Masonic Center and high school. Additionally, an assisted-living facility was evacuated to a veterans home in King, located about 20 miles away.
At around 12:30 p.m., the Little Wolf River, swollen from the heavy rainfall, topped the Manawa Dam. Video footage from WGBA shows the river pouring through a broken levee next to the dam, with the earth continuing to crumble into the floodwaters.
Fortunately, no injuries or fatalities were reported, Manawa Mayor Mike Frazier announced at a news conference.
The storms developed as a slow-moving cold front and a zone of low pressure moved through the region between Friday morning and midday. The Upper Midwest has experienced significantly higher than normal precipitation since the spring, leading to multiple floods.
Last month, torrential rains dropped over 10 inches across Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota, contributing to widespread flooding across the Midwest and upper Plains. These downpours caused a rail bridge connecting South Dakota and Iowa to collapse and led to the failure of the Rapidan Dam near Mankato, Minnesota, which washed away at least one home. The dam remains at risk of partial collapse.
These floods were exacerbated by already saturated soil from previous months of rain and rising temperatures.
In Manawa, Kotenberg noted that the area received 6 inches of rain over the past two weeks, saturating the ground and leaving Friday’s rainfall with nowhere to go but up. He predicts a relatively calm Saturday, followed by more storms on Sunday, which are expected to drop up to a half-inch of rain on the area.
As the community recovers from this latest incident, officials remain vigilant, preparing for potential future storms and continuing to prioritize the safety of residents.
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