Midwest Flooding: Waukesha, WI

I was in downtown Waukesha on 6/9 so I figured I'd join the crowd and grab some quick video of the river. Reviewing that footage now all I can say is "Wow."

If you're not familiar with the area it's hard to see just how high the waters are in some of these shots, and how far beyond its normal borders the river has stretched.

For the sake of perspective, there's a bridge about 40 seconds into the video with about 2 feet of clearance between the bottom of the bridge and the top of the water. About 8 feet beneath the nearest end of that bridge is a sidewalk I was *just* on three days earlier! And now? Completely drowned under an easy 6 feet or more of flood waters.

Pretty crazy, eh?

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Category:

Education

Tags:

• weather
• flood
• flooding
• midwest
• wisconsin
• downtown
• waukesha
• 2008
• Fox
• River

[LosAngeleno1959]

Has there been anymore flooding like this since 2008 when this was filmed? Are there a lot of high ground areas in Waukesha that are kind of fllod proof? I'm considering relocatring to that great town.

[behnnie]

@LosAngeleno1959 There are definitely areas that are on higher ground and less flood prone, but even for the lower areas the major flood concerns of a neighborhood can be worked around so long as your basement is constructed well and properly water-proofed. Yeah there still might be leaks. ;) But a little water is a lot better than an all-out flood!

[BlueFlame1365]

Was that close to frame park?

[behnnie]

Yep. The spot where I was filming was closer to the *center* of downtown over by Waukesha Civic Theatre, Waukesha State Bank, etc. just a wee bit downriver of Frame Park.

[EverybodysWeirdAunt]

Wow! That's larger than any river here in AZ. Of course, even at it's normal rate it's probably larger than any river in AZ!

Where I live the rainfall avg is between 7-10 inches a year. I can't even imagine standing by that much moving water. Astounding!

[behnnie]

It was pretty crazy seeing it like that. Usually it's a pretty low, calm river generally but this was just- wow. It rose so high it started taking over nearby parking lots an easy 10' above the highest levels it normally reaches!

[flamethrower824]

Go Waukesha

[RigoKellerColas]

I was there. Probably the same time. I'm from Madison and was visiting my brother who lives in Waukesha. I had to drive halfway up the state to get back home because the interstate was closed the whole way back because of flooding.

[thatpartylastnigh]

omg i remember that day!!. waukesha ftw!!

[KamenRiderJosh]

That from the Market on Saturday and i rember that time i live in Milwaukee My Mom work at waukesha haha

[ProfessorIgor]

I'm glad you showed the bears... which are normally about 5 feet ABOVE the surface of the water !!! been living in Waukesha 10 years now... it hasn't even gotten CLOSE to as high as it was during that flood.

[dan2hamilton]

i was thier during that

[momothemost]

I remember that!! 10 feet above normal water level in most places, and anyone that lived near the river were riding in canoes all over the backyards, it was freaky and funny at the same time...

[BlueFlame1365]

Awesome. Some friends and I were there last summer and a bridge going over the river was completely underwater.

We were just a couple blocks from the Waukesha city bus station.