People gather near the bridges in the Wauwatosa village to observe the still rushing flooded river and storm damage. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)

Neighborhoods across Milwaukee County are continuing to recover from record-shattering flooding over the weekend. Inundated basements, entire portions of Wauwatosa seemingly underwater, people fleeing the Wisconsin State Fair which shut down early amid rising floodwater and reports of cars literally floating away down roadways all followed the torrential downpour which began Aug. 9. 

The National Weather Service recorded 5.74 inches of rain Saturday, eclipsing the  previous single-day record for Milwaukee of 1.64 inches of rain. Meteorologists say that Saturday was Milwaukee’s second wettest day in 154 years of record keeping. Additional rainfall brought the total up to nearly 7 inches, with some areas expected to get over 10 inches of rain. Researchers have long-warned that increased and more intense rain and flooding would be among the ways climate change would manifest in Wisconsin. 

Casey Serrano, a resident of Milwaukee’s North Side left the home she shares with her boyfriend around 8 p.m. Saturday about an hour after the rain started. When she returned around 1 a.m., she saw water in the basement “coming out of our main sewer drain that was covering maybe a quarter to a third of our basement, maybe an inch deep.” During the night, the water rose to nearly 2 feet of “brown runoff from the street,” she said.

Serrano woke up to find there was no  power in her home. “Our immediate street is not flooded, and did not flood last night,” she told Wisconsin Examiner. “But the streets surrounding us flooded pretty heavily.” When she went out on  Silver Spring Drive to get supplies, she saw “within like a 20-block radius of our house there were cars that had clearly floated down Silver Spring.”  

“Thousands in Milwaukee are facing flooding after last night’s storms,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson wrote on X. “Avoid flooded roads — moving water is dangerous. City crews and first responders are working nonstop. Neighbors are stepping up to help neighbors.” The mayor posted that the city was coordinating with Gov. Tony Evers and Milwaukee County on emergency aid and shelters. “Milwaukee is strong,” Mayor Johnson posted. “Together, we’ll get through this.” 

Across Milwaukee County, emergency responders were overwhelmed as the flooding created a cascade of issues with natural gas, debris and power outages. “Very busy night for [Milwaukee Fire Department] & many other FD’s!”, Milwaukee Fire Department Chief Aaron Lipski posted on X. “Over 600 responses between 8pm-7am: numerous fires, water rescues, & many other weather-related emergencies.” 

 

Video shared with Wisconsin Examiner by Casey Serrano, a City of Milwaukee resident who experienced severe basement flooding after the storms on August 9th and 10th, 2025.

 

Online videos showed  cars trapped on flooded roadways and highways. People attending one of the final days of the Wisconsin State Fair were filmed wading through water to leave the fairgrounds. Around 10 p.m. on Sunday the sky began to light up with a new wave of lightning, heralding more rain. Over 18,000 people reportedly lost power during the storms. 

“Flooding is still an active emergency situation across Milwaukee County, and we are expecting more rain today and into this evening,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in a press statement Sunday. “I strongly urge our residents to stay cautious, stay informed, and refrain from traveling. Check  in on your neighbors and loved ones, especially older adults, and seek out emergency assistance if needed. I am thankful for our first responders, law enforcement partners, social services workers, and neighbors who are lending a helping hand during a challenging time. We will get through this together, Milwaukee.”

Local officials are warning residents not to walk into floodwater, as it may be contaminated or be near downed electrical wires. In some areas, the water had strong currents capable of sweeping people away. Those cleaning up debris are encouraged to wear gloves and proper protection, and residents are encouraged to limit water usage (such as by holding off on washing dishes or doing laundry) to reduce the risk of wastewater backing up into basements. 

The suburban city of Wauwatosa produced some of the most dramatic images of flooding throughout the county. According to the Wauwatosa Police Department (WPD), over 500 calls were received by their dispatch center with issues ranging from flooded out basements to blocked storm drains to traffic incidents due to standing water. WPD says there have been no reports of serious injuries, though several major roadways and intersections remain affected and impassable. 

Hart Park, near the Wauwatosa Village, is closed, and police are encouraging people to avoid the area. Sunday afternoon, many people were seen walking through the village area and parts of Hart Park to observe storm damage. Large debris was strewn along the railroad tracks, and reports indicate that the Menomonee River flowing through Hart Park rose from a little over 1 foot high to over 14 feet in a matter of hours. Sunday afternoon the water level was still high, with rushing water ripping through the park continuing to damage green spaces and concrete bike paths. Wauwatosa squad cars used loudspeakers to declare the area closed due to a state of emergency. 

 

Video posted to social media of the flooding in Wauwatosa by Bobby Pantuso, including drone footage by Pantuso (shared with permission).

 

Traffic control issues were also reported by the Waukesha Police Department, with the Fox River also under close observation. Waukesha Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Capt. Nicholas Wenzel said in an email statement that the department was “dealing with flooding across the county,” and that no injuries or missing persons had been reported.

For Serrano, the flood is an unprecedented experience. She anticipates costly repairs, including ripping out wood paneling in her house. 

Serrano is also concerned about what the flooding means for the city. “I think that my main concern is that the city is completely unprepared to deal with this, and I think it’s really willful on their part to be honest,” she said. Serrano, who used to work  for the city’s sewage department creating and analyzing data maps, thinks city budget and staffing cuts have adversely affected emergency preparedness. She blames Act 10, which has limited public employees’ collective bargaining rights since 2011, arguing that it  has contributed to staffing shortages and out-dated technology for city departments most responsible for preventing floods, and dealing with their aftermath. 

 

 

Act 12, which mandates that staffing and funding are maintained for the Milwaukee Police Department, also exacerbated the imbalance between police and  other departments including  Public Works, she said. 

“At any point, the Common Council could stand up for residents of this city — especially residents of the North Side,” Serrano said,  “and say we’re not going to deal with this anymore. We are going to fully fund these departments so that they have the right materials and the right resources to fully staff themselves, to fully hire.”