Flood Watch in Effect Though Friday

Like many other communities in southeastern Wisconsin, Whitefish Bay is under a Flood Watch until Friday morning.

As of 2 p.m., no basement backups or flooding problems have been reported to Village Hall, according to Assistant Village Engineer Aaron Jahncke.

Jahncke said street sweepers were out clearing catch basins to make sure the rain water flows properly to the storm sewer system. But during heavy rain events, Jahncke said residents are encouraged to adopt a catch basin near their home to ensure that it is cleaned properly.

"We try to get all the debris off the street, but if someone would like to adopt a catch basin near their home, it would be appreciated because they can become cluttered again within a half hour or an hour after we clean them," he said.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for portions of Southeast Wisconsin, including Dodge, Jefferson, Kenosha. Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha counties. According to Patch's media partners at WISN 12, the watch will be in effect from noon Tuesday to Friday morning. 

A series of low pressure systems are setting up along the jet stream, placing them directly over the area. Rainfall totals of 2 to 3 inches are forecast, and as the soil is already saturated or in some areas still frozen, runoff of moderate to heavy rainfall will cause many rivers to reach their banks with some reaching moderate flood stage.

In addition roadways in low-lying areas typically susceptible to flooding should be approached with caution.