Hundreds Evacuated from Western Wisconsin Town Due to Flooding; EF1 Tornado Confirmed in McGregor, Iowa

Sean Breslin
Published: July 20,2017
Hundreds of residents were evacuated from their homes in Arcadia, Wisconsin, Thursday morning as a swollen creek flooded the downtown area and closed several major roads.
The western Wisconsin town successfully completed all necessary evacuations Thursday morning, but water continued to rise at Turton Creek, according to WEAU.com. The floods forced authorities to close all major roads into the city, the report added.
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The Associated Press said the number of evacuees was well into the hundreds, and shelters were set up to house those pushed out of their homes.
"The Trempealeau River in Arcadia crested at its highest level since the September 2010 flood, 3.6 feet above flood stage early Thursday morning," said weather.com senior meteorologist Jon Erdman. "In nearby La Crosse, it's been the fourth-wettest year-to-date through June 19, over 9 inches above the average-to-date and just over 2 inches behind the record-setting pace of 1993, the year of the infamous Midwest flooding."
Flooding and mudslides were a widespread concern in the upper Midwest as storms pushed through Wednesday night and Thursday morning. In southeastern Minnesota, several roads were closed by floodwaters or mudslides, the AP also said.
A portion of Highway 95 in Wisconsin had to be shut down near Fountain City due to a mudslide.
Arcadia is a town of about 2,900 located some 40 miles south of Eau Claire.

Tornado Leaves Damage in McGregor, Iowa

The National Weather Service said an EF1 tornado hit the northeastern Iowa town of McGregor and left serious damage Wednesday night.
The walls of some buildings were blown over in the small city's downtown area, while other structures were knocked off their foundations, according to AP.
A man was taken to the hospital after winds blew his barn in Waukon over and pinned him inside, AP reports. Winds also toppled a semi trailer on Interstate 35 near Hanlontown.

All roads were shut down in McGregor as the town worked to clean up, and non-residents were advised to stay out of the city, according to WHO-TV.

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