A similar scenario to that of July 9, 2006 occurred again on the afternoon of July 27th.  Very slow moving scattered thunderstorms developed across portions of south-central and southeast Wisconsin.  A lake breeze fired additional storms across Waukesha County.  With propagation speeds often less than 15 mph, torrential rains resulted underneath these storms.  Nearly stationary storms over the Madison and Waukesha areas produced 4 to 5 inches of rain within about 90 minutes.  Flash flooding resulted in these locales with many buildings and vehicles sustaining varying degrees of damage.   The UW-Madison campus was especially hit hard.  See the specific write-ups as flash flood entries above.  Other smaller cities in Dane and Waukesha counties also experienced some minor urban flooding, but these reports did not warrant a separate line-item entry above.  Other storms across the area pulsed to severe limits to produce damaging winds to about 61 knots (70 mph) and one funnel cloud report at 1228CST at a location 2 miles northwest of Stoughton (Dane Co.).  The major electrical companies estimated that about 10,000 customers  were without electrical power at one time or another on July 27th, due to tree debris or lightning striking power-lines.

Thunderstorm Wind in JEFFERSON, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 13:27:00 to 27-JUL-06 13:27:00 (CST)
Location: BUSSEYVILLE
Magnitude: 52 EG
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Trees down.

Thunderstorm Wind in WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 14:30:00 to 27-JUL-06 14:30:00 (CST)
Location: BIG BEND
Magnitude: 52 EG
Property damage: 5K
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Trees and power lines down.

Thunderstorm Wind in RACINE, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 14:40:00 to 27-JUL-06 14:40:00 (CST)
Location: ROCHESTER
Magnitude: 52 EG
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC

Tree down.

Thunderstorm Wind in WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 13:43:00 to 27-JUL-06 13:50:00 (CST)
Location: PEWAUKEE
Magnitude: 56 EG
Property damage: 20K
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Multiple reports of trees and power-lines down.

Heavy Rain in DANE, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 11:30:00 to 27-JUL-06 13:00:00 (CST)
Location: PAOLI
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heavy rains of 4 to 5 inches fell over the area just southwest and south of Paoli within 90 minutes, based on WSR-88D Doppler radar estimates.  There were no reports of flash flooding that would result in property or crop damage.  However, some small streams in the area probably flooded for a an hour or so, and then receded.  In addition, some low-lying roads probably had some water on them.  Refer to the Madison flash flood event write-up to see a rainfall graphic of Dane County for July 27th.

Thunderstorm Wind in WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 13:18:00 to 27-JUL-06 13:18:00 (CST)
Location: EAGLE
Magnitude: 52 EG
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Trees down on County Road ZZ.

Thunderstorm Wind in DANE, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 13:00:00 to 27-JUL-06 13:00:00 (CST)
Location: UTICA
Magnitude: 56 EG
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Trees down.

Thunderstorm Wind in JEFFERSON, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 13:25:00 to 27-JUL-06 13:25:00 (CST)
Location: FT ATKINSON
Magnitude: 52 EG
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Trees down.

Thunderstorm Wind in WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 14:10:00 to 27-JUL-06 14:10:00 (CST)
Location: WAUKESHA
Magnitude: 61 EG
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Trees down.

Flash Flood in DANE, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 12:30:00 to 27-JUL-06 17:00:00 (CST)
Location: MADISON
Property damage: 10M
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

A 1-in-a-100-year flash flood occurred from the west side of Madison to around the Capitol Square after 3 to 5 inches of rain fell within a 90 minute timeframe.  There were no reports of injuries or deaths.  The heavy rain resulted from slow-moving and back-building thunderstorms that essentially remained nearly stationary over the city of Madison.  The hilly terrain and a typical urban setting of a lot of concrete and asphalt enable the runoff water to quickly overwhelm the storm sewers and concentrate water in low-lying areas of the city.  Water depths reach to the top of small vehicles - 4 to 5 feet deep in spots.  Many roads became impassable due to the flood waters, and many residential homes and businesses on or near the UW-Madison campus had flooded basement and first-floor flooding.  Some  basement apartment units had water depths of 6 to 8 feet.   Nearly all campus buildings had flooding of varying degrees of intensity, and the Camp Randall football field sustained damage.  Some campus buildings had flat roofs that quickly flooded as storm drains became plugged - which allowed water to run thru the walls and ceilings of buildings.  The buildings that sustained the most damage were the Memorial Union, Computer Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine.  Numerous vehicles on or near the campus were damaged or totaled by the flood waters, and some were reported to be floating away.  Unofficial rain gages measured 4.5 to 5 inches from just west of West High School up to the Capitol Square.  WSR-88D Doppler rainfall estimates were in the 3 to 5 inch rain, therefore it appears the unofficial rain gages were very accurate.  Rainfall amounts quickly fell off to 1 to 1.5 inches near the south Beltline (STH14/18/151).  It is nearly impossible to assess the monetary value of the flash flood damage, therefore, the amount posted in the header strip of this event is only a ballpark estimate.

Flash Flood in WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 14:54:00 to 27-JUL-06 16:00:00 (CST)
Location: WAUKESHA
Property damage: 3M
Crop damage: 500K
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO

A 1-in-a-100-year flood occurred in and around the city of Waukesha after a heavy rain of 3 to 5 inches within a 2-hr period.  The heavy rains were the result of slow-moving or back-building thunderstorms that essentially sat over the same area.  There  were no reports of injuries or deaths.  Numerous roads and yards were flooded with water depths of 1 to 5 feet.  Many vehicles were stalled in the deep waters or were damaged.  There were numerous reports of flooded basements of homes or businesses or apartments.  The roof of one business in downtown Waukesha  collapsed due to the weight of the heavy rains.  The Fox River in downtown Waukesha exceeded its 6-foot flood stage by 6 inches, and then quickly subsided.  Some nearby farm fields reported washed out sections and crop losses.  The Expo Center sustained damage as well to several of its buildings.  The basement of the downtown Waukesha Fire Department flooded to the depth of 5 feet.  This flooding was the result of a collapsed trench outside the building where a new addition was under construction.  At one point, Waukesha city officials warned motorists to stay away from the city, and some officials thought the July 27th flooding was the worst they could remember.  WSR-88D Doppler radar rainfall estimates indicated that up to 5 inches fell over the northwest portion of the city of Waukesha, tapering off to 2 inches on the far south side of the city where STH 59 is located.  One unofficial rain gage catch was 4.25 inches on the north side of the city, which matched the radar estimate.  It is nearly impossible to assess the monetary amount of the flash flood damage, therefore, the amount posted in the header strip of this event is only a rough estimate.

Thunderstorm Wind in DANE, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 11:15:00 to 27-JUL-06 11:15:00 (CST)
Location: MADISON
Magnitude: 52 EG
Property damage: 5K
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Trees and power-lines down near the south Beltline.

Funnel Cloud in DANE, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 12:28:00 to 27-JUL-06 12:28:00 (CST)
Location: STOUGHTON
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Funnel cloud observed at Highway 51 and County Road B.

Lightning in WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 13:45:00 to 27-JUL-06 13:45:00 (CST)
Location: WAUKESHA
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

A man was injured and taken to a hospital after lightning struck very close to him.  It is unknown where he was in the city of Waukesha, nor is the exact time known.   He was treated and released from the hospital.

Thunderstorm Wind in WASHINGTON, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 14:50:00 to 27-JUL-06 14:50:00 (CST)
Location: KEWASKUM
Magnitude: 52 EG
Property damage: 5K
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Trees and power lines down.

Thunderstorm Wind in RACINE, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 14:55:00 to 27-JUL-06 15:05:00 (CST)
Location: WATERFORD
Magnitude: 52 EG
Property damage: 5K
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Trees and power lines down.

Thunderstorm Wind in KENOSHA, WISCONSIN
From 27-JUL-06 15:25:00 to 27-JUL-06 15:30:00 (CST)
Location: TWIN LAKES
Magnitude: 52 EG
Property damage: 5K
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Trees and power lines down.