Areas of Ozaukee County are expecting near-record flooding overnight along the Milwaukee River.
The Milwaukee River dam at Village Park in Thiensville was a spectacle throughout Monday as it overflowed turning nearby areas into a swampland.
However, residents must feel relieved as the latest National Weather Service flood stage prediction shows the area isn’t supposed to climb past minor to moderate flood stage.
Throughout the day, two unmanned boats were spotted by TODAY’S TMJ4 crews drifting aimlessly down the Milwaukee River in Thiensville.
Businesses lining the swollen banks didn’t waste any time watching the water climb. Fiddlehead’s Coffee owner Mike Wroblewski spent the day laying sandbags around the store.
“We'll try to make a little moat around the cafe here,” he said.
About five miles north in Cedarburg, caution tape surrounds parts of Cedar Creek.
“It’s usually a lot calmer than this, so something that we’re not really used to here,” David Wyatt said.
Over in Washington County, Shalom Road in Farmington gave way to the flood waters. About a 40’ by 40’ stretch of the road crumbled and swept downstream. Ryan Elbe was there as it happened and captured the shocking moments on his cell phone.
“It just deteriorated pretty rapidly, it only took about 45 minutes for the entire two culverts to fully erode and end up down in the swamp,” Elbe said. "It was incredible. The amount of earth being moved, the size of these culverts are just insane and they were just getting thrown around like nothing.”
The Milwaukee River in Thiensville is only expected to climb another couple inches overnight. It’s anticipated to crest at 12.3 feet then quickly recede.
