{"generated_at":"2026-10-08T06:50:04.846Z","disaster":{"id":"6a1087ff6a6eb4fe6274ab9e","slug":"southern-wisconsin-severe-storms-and-flooding-april-2026","name":"Southern Wisconsin Severe Storms and Flooding April 2026","status":"long_term_recovery","type":"flooding","date_reported":"2026-04-13","affected_regions":"Milwaukee, Wisconsin (WI)","coordinates":"43.04104320566776, -87.93964454266363","overview":"<p><strong><em>This is an active Response with Christ in Action Redeploying to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. See below for full details.</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p>Multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms affected Wisconsin from <strong>April 13–17, 2026</strong>, with the most concentrated impacts across southern and central Wisconsin, including the <strong>Milwaukee metro, Waukesha County, Walworth County, Rock County, Dane County, Vernon County, Marathon County</strong>, and surrounding areas.</p><p><br></p><p>NWS Milwaukee documented <strong>four significant rounds of severe weather</strong>, including widespread damaging <strong>straight-line winds, destructive hail, flash flooding, river flooding</strong>, and at least <strong>16 tornadoes</strong> (up to EF3 ratings) in southern Wisconsin during the week, while NWS La Crosse and NWS Green Bay documented additional significant tornadoes elsewhere in the state.</p><p><br></p><p>Milwaukee experienced substantial flash flooding on April 15, with major highways including WI-175 near American Family Field and I-43 on the north side shut down due to inundation, while Janesville saw severe flash flooding and numerous water rescues on April 17. A later April 27 wake-low wind event brought a 77 mph gust at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, downed trees and power lines, and caused widespread outages across the Milwaukee area.</p><p><br></p><ul><li><strong>April 13–14</strong> — Confirmed <strong>EF0 tornado south of Beaver Dam</strong>, with damaging straight-line winds and multiple tornado warnings as storms moved east toward Lake Michigan.</li><li><strong>April 14</strong> — High-impact severe storms across southern Wisconsin, including <strong>softball-size hail near the Madison area</strong>, damaging winds, flash flooding, and <strong>six tornadoes</strong> across the southern Wisconsin / Milwaukee forecast area.</li><li><strong>April 14</strong> — Confirmed <strong>EF2 tornado near Sussex / Lisbon in Waukesha County</strong>, one of the most significant Milwaukee-area tornado impacts.</li><li><strong>April 14</strong> — Confirmed <strong>EF3 tornado near Union Center</strong> in western/southwestern Wisconsin, with hail up to <strong>3.5 inches</strong> and widespread hail damage around <strong>Westby, Cashton, and Vernon County</strong>.</li><li><strong>April 15</strong> — Additional storms dropped <strong>1–3 inches of rain</strong> over south-central and southeastern Wisconsin, causing Milwaukee-area flooding, including closures on <strong>WI-175 near American Family Field</strong> and <strong>I-43 on Milwaukee’s north side</strong>.</li><li><strong>April 15</strong> — One storm-related fatality reported in <strong>Waukesha</strong>, where a man died after a likely lightning strike.</li><li><strong>April 17</strong> — Statewide severe-weather outbreak across central, north-central, and southern Wisconsin, including supercells, damaging winds, large hail, tornadoes, and additional flooding.</li><li><strong>April 17</strong> — Confirmed <strong>EF3 tornado near Ringle in Marathon County</strong>, with estimated <strong>145 mph winds</strong>, a <strong>13.53-mile path</strong>, and damage to dozens of homes.</li><li><strong>April 17</strong> — Serious flash flooding in the <strong>Janesville / Rock County area</strong>, including numerous water rescues after vehicles were stranded in rapidly rising floodwaters.</li><li><strong>April 17</strong> — NWS Milwaukee confirmed <strong>eight additional tornadoes</strong> in southern Wisconsin: <strong>four EF1s and four EF0s</strong>, from Rock County east into Racine, Kenosha, and southern Milwaukee counties.</li></ul>","url":"https://app.servesource.org/DisasterDetail?disaster=southern-wisconsin-severe-storms-and-flooding-april-2026","last_updated":"2026-06-23T20:04:51.448Z"},"response_count":1,"truncated":false,"responses":[{"id":"6a245532e5bb83855f14e9ba","organization":{"id":"697e7ccbd992ae496f153890","name":"Christ In Action","url":"https://app.servesource.org/OrganizationDetail?id=697e7ccbd992ae496f153890","org_type":"faith_based_nonprofit","primary_category":"Tree Work/Chainsaw Crews","services":["Mental Health/Crisis Counseling","Logistics","Community/Mobile Showers","Transportation Services","Assessment Teams","Tree Work/Chainsaw Crews","cleanup","assessment","Muck Out/Ash Out","Debris Management"],"website":"https://christinaction.com/","logo":"https://base44.app/api/apps/695c704f24f26045c4d0f1c0/files/public/695c704f24f26045c4d0f1c0/48ceba88b_ChristInAction-2025.jpg","description":"Christ In Action exists to extend the ministry of the gospel by mobilizing and equipping the local church to be active in times of crisis, training in preparedness and crisis intervention to bring hope to America’s families. ","region":"VA","faith_based":true,"verified_tier":"verified_faith_based_partner","drrn_member":true},"scope":"disaster","services":["Muck Out/Ash Out","Debris Management","Assessment Teams","Rebuild"],"start_date":"2026-06-12","end_date":"2026-06-21","narrative":"The Milwaukee, WI area continues to struggle with recovery from significant flood damage caused by the April flooding, while many communities are still rebuilding from the severe weather that struck in August 2025 and again in April 2026.\n\nOur CIA Midwest regional team is deploying to help with cleanup efforts; bringing support, encouragement, and hope to those who need it most. \n\nThere are many supplies needed to support a deployment like this. Please consider sending supplies from our Amazon Wishlist that are much needed for base operations & deployments.\n\nHelp us spread the word! Please share this deployment page, our Website Info, Facebook Page or Amazon wishlist with friends, family & neighbors and anyone who may want to give, or serve with us. ","website_link":"https://secure.christinaction.com/campaigns/545","action_links":[],"location":{"name":null,"address":"Milwaukee, WI","city":"Milwaukee","county":"Milwaukee County","state":"Wisconsin","coordinates":"43.0386475, -87.9090751"},"has_volunteer_opportunity":true,"volunteer_tags":["Spontaneous Volunteers Accepted","Community Volunteers Accepted","Will train New Volunteers in the field","Open to Organization-Trained Volunteers"],"last_updated":"2026-09-14T18:31:00.465000"}]}