The National Weather Service confirmed an EF2 tornado in the Town of Lisbon Tuesday. Maximum winds were 120 mph and the path length 3.2 miles. The NWS said the duration was six minutes.
Vernon County officials are asking residents and business owners to report storm damage through 2-1-1 following Tuesday night’s severe weather that brought massive hail to the area. United Way 2-1-1 has been activated to collect damage information from residents and businesses across Vernon County. Residents and business owners can report damages by calling 2-1-1. The service is currently only gathering damage information. Emergency management officials are encouraging all affected residents and businesses to contact their insurance companies immediately and document all damages by taking photographs and writing down detailed information. For those with unmet needs following the storm, the American Red Cross is prepared to provide assistance.
Officials are currently monitoring levees in the Portage area as the Wisconsin River is expected to rise to major flood levels on Wednesday. Staff with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources have been monitoring the Lewiston and Caledonia levees twice daily. If river levels reach 19.4 feet, the department’s monitoring system will expand to a round-the-clock surveillance schedule. At the time of this article, river levels are projected to rise to 20.3 feet, while flood stage is 17 feet and the river is currently at 18.9 feet. Emergency management officials also are monitoring statewide flooding conditions and posting situation reports on Wisconsin Emergency Management’s website.
The US National Weather Service Quad Cities office has determined an EF1 tornado with a path near 3.5 miles occurred near the Dubuque Airport on the far south side of Dubuque on Tuesday evening around 6:30 PM. Maximum winds were near 105 mph. Survey teams also confirmed EF1 tornados north of Pearl City, IL and just south of Masonville, IA.
A slow-no-wake speed restriction was placed on the entire Rock River on Thursday, the Rock County Sheriff’s Office said. County ordinances require a restriction to be placed on portions of the river if water reaches a certain level at two monitoring points, and those levels were exceeded. The U.S. Geological Survey Gauges for the river at Lake Koshkonong reached 8.97 feet on Thursday and the water level in Afton hit 8.95 feet. That’s well above the 8-foot limit that triggers slow-no-wake restrictions at those locations. Southern Wisconsin is expected to receive more rain on Friday, which could send river levels higher.
Pine Island State Wildlife Area, located just west of Portage, will be closed until further notice because of flooding, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said Thursday. The Wisconsin River rose to major flood levels on Thursday, particularly around the Portage area, after days of heavy rain. The DNR said it had to close the wildlife area to protect public health and safety. The area will reopen when flood waters recede and the DNR deems the situation safe.
