Storms barreling across the heart of the United States continued to threaten rain and pose flooding risks Thursday after causing at least one death when a man apparently was struck by lightning in Wisconsin.
Police in Waukesha, , said the 鈥渁rea was experiencing heavy rainfall accompanied by significant thunder and lightning鈥� when someone reported seeing the man on the ground Wednesday evening.
鈥淧reliminary information indicates the individual was struck by lightning while walking through the parking lot during the storm,鈥� police said.
A weather pattern combining very moist air with a strong jet stream has stretched from as far south as central Texas into the Midwest and east across the Great Lakes. From Monday through Wednesday, the National Weather Service received more than 1,100 reports of large hail, winds above 60 mph (96 kph) and tornadoes as part of the storm system, said Bill Bunting, a meteorologist with the weather service鈥檚 Storm Prediction Center.
Teams were out Thursday surveying damage to determine the exact number of tornadoes, Bunting said.
The storms have for the better part of this week and could continue into the early weekend.
鈥淭here’s been a tremendous amount of lightning with these storms over the last few days,鈥� said Mark Gehring, a meteorologist with the weather service in Milwaukee.
鈥淲e’ve had the temperature and humidity of summer and it’s lasting an entire week 鈥� in mid-April,鈥� he added. 鈥淚n addition to a very stormy pattern, nearly every day we’re having heavy rain. We’ve had tornadoes nearly every day, very large hail.鈥�
Five tornadoes have been confirmed across southern and central Wisconsin, but the number could rise after surveys, Gehring said.
In addition to lightning, hail and tornadoes, the storms have brought rain 鈥� lots of it, with scores of flood warnings and flood watches issued by the weather service over multiple states.
Crews were hurriedly from a dam in Cheboygan, Michigan, this week, even removing floodgates to relieve pressure. Some residents were told to prepare a 鈥済o bag鈥� containing important personal items, though Cheboygan County Sheriff Todd Ross said the number of people in the zone was relatively small.
鈥淲e are in crisis mode now,鈥� said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who declared emergencies in dozens of counties because of flooding and other weather woes.
In northern Michigan, Bellaire, population 1,000, said its wastewater treatment system was being overwhelmed, forcing the release of partially treated waste into area swamps. The village urged residents to reduce home water use.
Carl Johnson, 59, has a home on the rapidly rising Muskegon River in western Michigan. He went on Facebook to tell people that his boats were ready if someone needed help. People living in the river鈥檚 flood plain below the Croton Dam in Newaygo County were ordered to evacuate.
鈥淚t鈥檚 out of the banks everywhere. It鈥檚 really bad,鈥� Johnson said of the river.
Bruce Carlson, who lives behind the Croton Dam, said the roar of the water was 鈥渄eafening.鈥� Consumers Energy, which owns the dam, said it was structurally sound.
The Wisconsin River is at major flood stage in Portage, Wisconsin, and is forecast to reach or surpass the 20.7-foot (6.3-meter) record sometime Friday morning, meteorologist Gehring said.
鈥淩ight now, it’s at 19.9 feet (6 meters), not that far off,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n Portage, there’s a large area of low-land flooding. Many roads are flooded. There’s a levee there. It’s important that the levee holds.鈥�
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency earlier this week.
Cars were stranded Wednesday night in high floodwater on a highway in Milwaukee and the Milwaukee County Sheriff鈥檚 Office posted online to urge people not to drive in southeast Wisconsin.
But at least in Wisconsin, a respite could be near.
鈥淲e have one more severe, heavy rain event coming this way before we get a good break,鈥� Gehring said. 鈥淭hat’s going to be on Friday evening. That’s going to be the last gasp of severe rain.鈥�
Bunting said the storm system will continue to move north and east and likely will take three to four days to finally move off the U.S. east coast.
鈥淧robably, the most concerning day in terms of intense thunderstorm potential and tornadoes is Friday, extending from northern Oklahoma into central Wisconsin and far eastern Illinois,鈥� he said.
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Williams reported from West Bloomfield, Michigan. White reported from Detroit.
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