Possible 'once-in-a-thousand-year' rainfall event recorded alongside repeated record breaking rainfall in northern Wisconsin

Danielle Kaeding
wpr.org
Wed, 20 Jun 2018 14:00 UTC

© National Weather Service and Wisconsin State Patrol

U.S. Highway 63 near Drummond, Wisconsin.

In the last decade, areas of northern Wisconsin have experienced several storms with heavy rains that are only projected to occur once in a lifetime, according to precipitation archives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

An official analysis of the weekend's storms in northern Wisconsin by NOAA confirms that 100 to 1,000-year rainfall events occurred in some areas of the state.

Duluth National Weather Service Meteorologist Joe Moore said that's based on a comparison of three-day totals and NOAA's Atlas 14 records.

"Not everywhere in Wisconsin saw that kind of severity, but definitely parts of northwest Wisconsin, particularly in Douglas and Bayfield Counties," said Moore.

© NWS Duluth

Three-day rainfall totals from the National Weather Service Office in Duluth.

Specific areas may have seen rains that are only projected to occur once in a millennium, Moore said.

"Especially over Drummond, Wisconsin, in southern Bayfield County. That may go on the record as a 1,000-year flood or a 1,000-year rainfall," he said.

© NWS Duluth

Three-day rainfall totals from the National Weather Service Office in Duluth.

Rainfall totals near Brule in Douglas County and Gile in Ashland County also saw precipitation at or beyond 100-year levels.

In July 2016, Drummond also experienced 100-year rains over the course of two days on July 10-12. At Saxon, the two-day rainfall totals of 9.8 inches fell within the range of a 200-year event in 2016.

In June 2012, Duluth and Superior experienced a 500-year flood event with eight to 10 inches falling over a two-day period in June.

Moore said NOAA will make an official determination on rainfall records in the months to come as part of an official report.

Comment: From the height of waves to epic flooding on land, the entire planet is experiencing a rapid shift in its weather patterns, and the similarity with events which occurred in our recent past should give us pause for thought:

• Floods Everywhere: Europe Battered By Sheets Of Rain, Hail and Thunderstorms
• Flash flooding hits Guadalajara, Mexico - Passengers forced to swim out of rail cars
• At least 7 dead following landslide and floods in north Vietnam - 15 inches of rain in 24 hours
• Floods and landslides kill at least 11 in Mon State, Myanmar (Burma)
• Unusual storm batters Barnaul, Siberia - Whole city lost power, one killed, several injured

For an in-depth discussion on the possible causes behind these events, check out: Behind the Headlines: Earth changes in an electric universe: Is climate change really man-made?

Also check out SOTTs' monthly documentary SOTT Earth Changes Summary - May 2018: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs: