Rounds of downpours to enhance flood risk in midwestern US through early week

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

September 1,2018, 5:23:50 AM EDT

Flooding concerns will mount in the midwestern United States as downpours stream over the region through early next week.

The first few days of September will pick up right where August left off, which was an extremely wet month for part of the Midwest.

Madison, Wisconsin, received 10.40 inches of rain during the month, making it the second wettest August on record. August 2007 currently holds the top spot with 15.18 inches.

The rainfall not only left its mark in the record books, but also triggered extensive flooding, especially in southern Wisconsin.

In this photo provided by the Dane County Highway Department, flood waters rush through a damaged street in Black Earth, Wis., on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018. (Dane County Highway Department via AP)

Rivers remain swollen from the deluge, including the Baraboo River near Baraboo, Wisconsin, which is forecast to remain at major flood stage through the weekend, according to hydrologists at the National Weather Service.

Several rivers have yet to crest, including the Fox and Crawfish rivers.

The additional rainfall expected will only add to the flooding woes and may create new problems elsewhere.

A system is expected to stall across the central Plains through the Corn Belt and into the Upper Midwest with areas of heavy showers and thunderstorms, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jack Boston.

“The stalled system can produce excessive rains in many areas, especially from Sunday through Tuesday,” he added.

Tropical air streaming in from the Gulf of Mexico will add to the intensity of the downpours and may bring more than a month’s worth of rain to some locations.

Additional rainfall into Wednesday can reach 3-6 inches from northern Kansas and eastern Nebraska to Iowa, southeastern Minnesota, Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

There can be an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 12 inches in areas that get hit with successive downpours.

In addition to needing to keep umbrellas and rain jackets close at hand, residents should be wary of flooded, washed out or closed roads while driving.

If you see high water on a roadway, do not attempt to drive through it. Turn around and find a safer, alternate route.

People living near small streams, creeks or other flood-prone areas should be watchful for rising water levels and be prepared to move to higher ground if necessary.

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Keep up to date with the latest flood alerts for your area by downloading the free AccuWeather app.

Construction crews, landscapers, farmers and anyone else with outdoor work may face setbacks in the rainy pattern.

While the greatest risk to lives and property will be flash flooding, a few stronger thunderstorms could rumble through the area with gusty winds.

Trees that have been weakened due to the saturated ground could be easily knocked down, even with a wind gust below severe criteria (58 mph).

Drier air may slowly suppress the downpours from northwest to southeast during the latter half of next week.

However, AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring a tropical system that will be brewing in the Gulf of Mexico next week that could spread additional moisture into the nation's midsection during the second half of the week.