Storms hammer Northeast Wisconsin

Northeast Wisconsin was pounded by severe weather Thursday, with some areas reporting all-time records for one-day rainfall.

States of emergency were declared in Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Ripon, Brandon, Fairwater and Fond du Lac County. Major roads, including U.S. 41 and Interstate 39, were closed, and some roads remain closed this morning. (Click here for updated road closings.)

State emergency officials recommend that people wanting to travel to the Northwoods this weekend should take Interstate 43 to Green Bay, then Wisconsin 29 west to Interstate 39.

Flood warnings are in effect for the Fox River near Berlin, the south branch of the Rock River in Waupun, the Manitowoc River in Manitowoc, and the Sheboygan River in Sheboygan. Flood warnings are also in effect for Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette and Sheboygan counties through Saturday at 1:30 a.m. Official rain totals included 4.96 inches at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, 4.49 inches at Fond du Lac County Airport, and 2.3 inches at Sheboygan County Memorial Airport.

River flooding information can be found for Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette and Sheboygan counties here, and for the rest of Northeast Wisconsin here.

A roundup of storm reports, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and online sources:

Fond du Lac County:

The city of Fond du Lac is under a state of emergency today, with residents urged to stay home. About 330 city residents have been evacuated.

The county has been declared a disaster area. As of this morning, road closings included Wisconsin 26 throughout the entire county one lane of Wisconsin 49, Fond du Lac County M and Spring Street in Waupun; Fond du Lac County MMM; Wisconsin 23 east of Rosendale (traffic is being rerouted around Rosendale); Fond du Lac County KK near Brandon Road and from south of Ripon to Green Lake; and, in Fond du Lac, parts of North Main Street, Western Avenue and University Drive. U.S. 41 at one point had four to eight feet over the road at Hickory Street in Fond du Lac, but 41 reopened at 5:15 this morning.

Traffic is being rerouted from 26 in Rosendale to Fond du Lac County C, County N, U.S. 41, U.S. 151 and Wisconsin 49 in Waupun.

Evacuations in Fond du Lac County included the Fond du Lac County Emergency Operations Center due to flooding, 60 homes in Waupun, and a nursing home in Ripon. Evacuation centers include Fond du Lac High School, Rosendale Community Center, the Friendship Learning Center in North Fond du Lac, the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds, and Waupun High School.

Marian University and UW–Fond du Lac are closed today due to weather issues.

Green Lake County:

Wisconsin 44 was closed in the Dalton and Kingston areas and in Markesan, and Wisconsin 73 is closed south of Wisconsin 23, with a bridge out on Wisconsin 73. The Fox River reached flood stage in Berlin Thursday, although major damage reportedly doesn't occur until river stage reaches 16 feet. Sandbagging is taking place at Kingston Dam on the Grand River and at Lower Green Lake and the Puchyan River.

County residents also are being urged to stay home unless travel is absolutely necessary. Friday and Saturday events at Dairy Days in Markesan have been canceled.

Marquette County:

Interstate 39 is closed southbound at Wisconsin 82, and all southbound entrance ramps are closed from 82 to Wisconsin 33. Wisconsin 22 is closed at the Montello River Dam because of high water levels. Marquette County O is closed because part of the road is washed out.

Outagamie County:

A flood advisory is in effect for the Fox River at Appleton until further notice due to fast and dangerous current. The Fox is out of its banks in Wrightstown.

We Energies reported 246 customers without power in the Fox Cities.

Winnebago County:

Winnebago County was declared a disaster area Friday afternoon. About 75 percent of Oshkosh is affected in some way by the flooding, according to state emergency management officials.

U.S. 41 had up to four feet of water over the road at Ninth Avenue at one point during the storm. Wisconsin 44 was closed at Elo Road, according to the Wisconsin State Patrol. Oshkosh residents are asked to avoid unnecessary travel today.

A Canadian National train derailed south of Oshkosh, apparently due to the weather, around midnight. No injuries were reported.

About 400 Wisconsin Public Service customers in Oshkosh lost electric power.

As of this afternoon, attention is being paid to rising water levels on the Fox River between Eureka and Omro, the Wolf River, and Lake Butte des Morts.